Food fraud: Commission publishes the results of the first EU-wide survey on the authenticity of herbs and spices

The European Commission has published the results of the first coordinated control plan on the authenticity of herbs and spices launched by DG SANTE and carried out by 21 EU Member States, Switzerland and Norway. The JRC conducted nearly 10,000 analyzes on 1,885 samples, using a range of state-of-the-art analytical techniques to assess the authenticity of six different herbs and spices. The percentage of samples that were considered at risk of adulteration was 17% for pepper, 14% for cumin, 11% for turmeric, 11% for saffron and 6% for paprika / chilli. Oregano was identified as the most vulnerable with 48% of the samples at risk of contamination, with olive leaves in most cases. The authenticity and purity of the herbs and spices were evaluated against the relevant ISO standards. In the event that a sample did not comply with these provisions for foreign matter and total ash, it was considered suspected of adulteration. Additionally, the result of additional tests targeting ...