Over the past several years, there have been a number of governmental developments due to the potential presence of opioid residues in poppy seeds. These developments are intended to crack down on the sale of adulterated poppy seed products that contain extremely high levels of opioids and are being sold intentionally for their drug effects.

Poppy seeds used in food products are processed to ensure that they are safe for food consumption prior to being sold to the final consumer. As a normal processing step, poppy seeds undergo a cleaning process that removes debris including the vast majority of opioid residues. Heat treatment (such as baking) of finished products further degrades the levels of opioid residues.  ASTA has developed a white paper that addresses the current regulatory situation and outlines typical processing and cleaning measures for poppy seeds that are sold for food use.