€3 MILLION SAFFRON FRAUD SCHEME UNCOVERED

April 22nd, 2022.

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Spanish police have seized 2000kg of allegedly adulterated saffron as part of an operation across multiple Spanish cities.

After uncovering the sophisticated saffron fraud scheme, Spain’s Guardia Civil has arrested 11 individuals for crimes against “Public Health, Fraud, Against the Market and Consumers and membership of a Criminal Group”.

The companies under investigation are believed to have been pulverising gardenia extract and selling it as saffron throughout Spain.

Gardenia extract is very similar in colour to saffron and has been used in fraud cases before. There is one molecule that enables gardenia to be differentiated from its much more expensive cousin, saffron. The companies responsible for this fraud case were able to eliminate almost any trace of the tell-tale molecule, therefore, making it extremely difficult for any potential buyer to verify what they were buying.

Gardenia can be harvested intensively, unlike saffron which must be picked from the crocus flower and then processed by hand due to its delicacy, resulting in the harvesting cost of saffron being ten times higher than gardenia.

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.

The Guardia Civil estimates that the main company it is investigating made an estimated profit of €3 million.

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