The aim of the priority action was to check compliance with food law provisions regarding pesticide residues in organic spices from Asia that are sold online. This priority action was carried out by the BAVG with the involvement of technical experts from the Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) with a focus on pesticide residues and possible indications of "food fraud", i.e. the deliberate deception of consumers through inferior or falsely declared products:

Testing for pesticide residues and, in particular, food fraud - for example by stretching spices with inferior ingredients or by using banned colourings in spices and spice pastes - is becoming increasingly relevant. According to the Annual Report of the Alert & Cooperation Network (ACN) 2024, pesticide residues were the most frequently reported problem in herb and spice products at 46 per cent. Of these, 76 per cent of the affected products come from non-EU countries such as India and China.

Result of the inspection campaign: Of the five samples ordered and inspected online, two were objectionable, one of which was classified as harmful to health and therefore "not marketable". This corresponds to a complaint rate of 40 per cent. The sample that was assessed as "unsafe" under food law contained pesticide residues above the maximum residue level. In the three samples that were not objected to, pesticide residues below the permitted limit were detected.

Further details can be found in the final report.