Back in 2011, when I began writing "Truffle Hunt," the jumping off point was a "what if" question I asked myself. What if someone could create a synthetic truffle?
This wasn't a completely far-fetched idea, although I was criticized for it. Truffle experts told me it was impossible to create a fake truffle.
But, as a work of fiction, I felt free to create a world where man-made truffles are a reality. And, there was a precedent. I found, much to my horror, that most truffle oil contains no truffles at all. It is, in fact, a combination of chemicals that mimics the distinctive truffle scent. Ever since I stumbled on this information, I have been railing against the use of the truffle oil in restaurants and in packaged food products.
My feeling has always been that it is fine to have these products on the market, but there should be transparency in labeling so that consumers know what they are really getting. Charging a premium for a "truffle" product that doesn't contain truffles is misleading at best, and probably fraudulent.
Now it appears the legal system is catching up with this scam. Two class action lawsuits have been filed in recent weeks against the makers and sellers of truffle oil which allegedly contain no truffles. The first lawsuit, filed in Manhattan, alleges that Trader Joe's truffle oil does not contain "a single trace of truffle oil. The second lawsuit, filed in California, alleges that Urbani Truffle Co knowingly sold truffle oil that contained no truffles.
It will be interesting to see how these lawsuits progress because the law is like most other industries. It is a copycat business. If one of these lawsuits succeed, expect a lot more to follow.
In the meantime, take the advice I've been giving for six years, don't buy, order or consume so-called truffle oil.
Try the new Yahoo Mail
