Spanish saffron scandal as industry accused of importing cheaper foreign varieties

Spanish saffron scandal as industry accused of importing cheaper foreign varieties - Telegraph: "New figures reveal that barely one per cent of saffron labelled as Spanish is actually grown in the country, the rest being made up of poor-quality imports from Iran, Morocco and Greece.
Spain's farmers union, ASAJA, recognises that at least 90 per cent of exports of Spanish saffron is 'fraudulent' and has called for new regulations to stop the malpractice and protect Spain's saffron growers.
'It's shameful the prices they sell it at, even more so when they know it's rubbish,' one exporter who insisted on remaining anonymous told the Spanish newspaper El Pais.
According to figures released by Spain's ministry of industry, the country exported 190,000 kilos of saffron in 2010, a sale that netted £40 million.
But local production of the tiny filaments from the purple crocus blooms amounted to only 1,500 kilos."