Related Searches: Tea Vitamin Nutrients Ingredients paper cup packing

Food & Health Ingredients
Health & Nutrition
Processing & Packaging
Starch & Starch Derivatives

€3 million saffron fraud scheme uncovered by Spanish police

newfoodmagazine 2022-04-28
Share       
Tag:

Spain’s Guardia Civil has arrested 11 individuals for “crimes against Public Health (Agri-Food Fraud), Fraud, Against the Market and Consumers and membership of a Criminal Group” after it uncovered a sophisticated saffron fraud scheme.

According to a statement issued by the Guardia Civil, the companies under investigation had been pulverising gardenia extract and selling it as saffron throughout Spain.

“Operation Garden” was carried out in Malaga, Barcelona, Alicante, Granada, and Almeria, and was carried out in participation with Europol and the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF).

Gardenia extract is very similar in colour to saffron and has been used in saffron fraud cases before, but there is one molecule that enables gardenia to be differentiated from its much more expensive cousin. The companies under investigation had managed to almost eliminate any trace of the tell-tale molecule, making it extremely hard for any potential buyer to verify what they were buying.

Gardenia is significantly cheaper to procure than saffron because, as the Guardia Civil confirmed in its statement, it can be harvested intensively, wheras saffron must be picked from the crocus flower and then processed by hand due to its delicacy. As a result, the Guardia Civil estimates that the harvesting cost of saffron is ten times higher than that of gardenia.

However, gardenia is not considered a foodstuff in the EU and as such the companies under investigation are alleged to have breached European protocols on health and food quality.

There are significant sums of money at stake too. The Guardia Civil estimates that the main company it is investigating made an estimated profit of €3 million. In fact, because of the extremely low purchasing price, the company could have made a profit margin of around 800 percent, preventing fair competition between other, law-abiding saffron producers.

The law enforcement agency confirmed that it seized more than 2,000 kg of allegedly adulterated saffron valued at more than €750,000, which has since been withdrawn from the market.

E-newsletter

Subscribe to our e-newsletter for the latest food ingredients news and trends.

Tags

Recommended Products

Genlai Fructose—30KG

Genlai Fructose—30KG

Yuankang fruit products

Yuankang fruit products

Buffered Lactic Acid

Buffered Lactic Acid

Vitamin E Powder 50%

Vitamin E Powder 50%

SPIRIOR (SPI Series)

SPIRIOR (SPI Series)

Mixed tocopherols(50%-95%)EU

Mixed tocopherols(50%-95%)EU

FERROUS SULFATE

FERROUS SULFATE

Vinpocetine

Vinpocetine

Top

SJGLE B2B Website : 中文版 | ChineseCustomer Service: 86-400 610 1188-3 ( Mon-Fri 9: 00-18: 00 BJT)

About Us|Contact Us|Privacy Policy|Intellectual Property Statement

Copyright 2006-2023 Shanghai Sinoexpo Informa Markets International Exhibition Co Ltd (All Rights Reserved). ICP 05034851-121