Food fraud has been a thing since food has been sold. From bakers and millers adding fillers like sawdust to their product to modern instances of brands passing off other oils as "olive" and flavored syrups as "honey", it's (unfortunately) a time-honored tradition.

Best thing you can do for spices is to buy them whole and grind as needed (bonus: this means you can toast the spices, and they have a somewhat longer shelflife whole than ground.) Check out specialty grocers- Indian markets, pan-Asian markets, or spice-specific retailers. They'll have faster turnover (i.e., fresher product) and, generally, better deals.

For herbs- plenty of them will grow in a sunny window, and it's not hard to dry them. Plus, you can harvest seeds and re-plant.