Saffron and olive oil fraud discovered in Spain

Spanish investigators, in collaboration with the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), Europol, and the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN), have uncovered a saffron fraud scheme involving the sale of modified gardenia extract from China as saffron across Spain. The operation, known as Garden, resulted in the arrest of 11 individuals and the investigation of three companies, accused of public health crimes and fraud. The fraud, which involved reducing the saffron molecule's concentration to evade detection, is estimated to have generated a profit of €3 million since 2013.

Additionally, Spanish officials have issued a warning regarding the unsafe marketing of virgin and extra virgin olive oil in various brands, highlighting a lack of traceability and the presence of vegetable oils in samples. Consumers have been advised not to consume the affected products and to return them to the point of sale. The distribution of these products has primarily been in the Murcia region but has also reached Catalonia, the Basque Country, and Valencia.