Scary revelation: 'Red gold' saffron pistils worth 650 million VND/kg is faked from turmeric powder and chemicals

Being a super expensive spice, likened to “red gold”, fake saffron has recently appeared on the market. They often use turmeric powder, plus another plant, mixed with a chemical to create color to fake saffron.

Iranian Ambassador to Vietnam Saleh Adibi said that saffron has been known to people around the world for thousands of years. It is very good for health and is called the “red gold” of Iran. This is a very popular item and is always sought after by the upper class, middle class and wealthy people.

Ambassador Saleh Adibi said saffron is considered "red gold" because its price is extremely expensive.

Although other countries also produce saffron, saffron from Iran is considered the most famous in the world. Iran is currently the world's largest saffron exporter, accounting for 90% of global saffron exports, worth hundreds of millions of USD each year.

For example, they have the effect of clearing blood vessels and are very good for patients with coronary artery disease; patients with cardiovascular disease. Therefore, saffron is used to prepare dishes in the family, as an ingredient in the production of medicine in the medical field.

In particular, they also have beauty benefits. According to Mr. Saleh Adibi, professors and researchers in the field of traditional medicine in Iran have conducted many scientific studies proving the wonderful benefits of saffron.

"Currently, Iranian saffron has been officially imported by a company in Vietnam for sale," said Mr. Saleh Adibi.

Saffron is extremely rare and is known as the noble spice.

However, the Iranian ambassador also shared that high-value items are often counterfeited. For example, gold has real gold and fake gold; diamonds also have real and fake types, etc. Therefore, saffron - a commodity that costs up to several hundred million VND/kg, known as "red gold" - also has real and fake types.

“There are forms of counterfeiting and dyeing saffron on the market. They often use things like turmeric powder, plus another plant, mixed with a chemical to create a fake saffron color,” the ambassador revealed.

Mr. Saleh Adibi also said that in Iran, people often use saffron to cook rice. Rice mixed with saffron often gives a very natural bright yellow color; fake saffron mixed with rice also gives a similar color, but if you look closely, its color will not be as natural as real saffron. However, because saffron is a product used by Iranians every day, they can easily tell which is real and which is fake.

“Saffron is a relatively new product for Vietnamese consumers, so be careful when buying saffron products. You should buy saffron with a clear origin from official importers from Iran. Because these products, in addition to being guaranteed by companies in Iran, also have official licenses from the Vietnamese Government, as well as being recognized by competent authorities in Vietnam,” the Iranian ambassador added.

Because of its high price, this item is often counterfeited.

Meanwhile, Dr. Tran Chau Quyen (Nutrition Institute) also shared that due to its rarity and high price, saffron is easily counterfeited by using chemicals to dye or create fragrance. These chemicals are often very toxic and harmful to health. Therefore, consumers need to be very careful when buying saffron, because if they buy fake or poor quality products, there can be unfortunate consequences for their health.

In fact, the market shows that saffron products are being advertised everywhere, especially on social networking sites with prices ranging from 250 - 500 million VND/kg depending on the type and origin, with some even costing up to 650 million VND/kg.

However, most saffron sellers said that a large amount of saffron sold in the Vietnamese market today is hand-carried goods. Meanwhile, if imported by hand-carried goods, the goods are not inspected, quarantined, or certified for quality by authorities.

According to VNN