Why you can't trust your spices and ingredients

The oregano supply chain was most vulnerable, as 48% of samples were suspicious of being adulterated, in most cases with olive leaves

Europe imports about 300,000 tons per year of herbs and spices, which are mostly spices from East Asia.

Food fraud is a major concern for consumers and the food industry.

Adulteration, mislabelling, and unapproved or undeclared enhancement of products have been observed in a variety of products. Now, the EU's Joint Research Centre has announced new laboratory methods to detect adulteration in six commonly used spices and herbs, a timely intervention ahead of the Christmas cooking season.