Originally Posted by
bensyd
Truffle oil isn't bad, but the flavour can be really overpowering. Are consumers really being misled? McDonald's sell fries with truffle mayo, I can't imagine the average person buying those thinks real truffles have been anywhere near it.
I would say they are being misled. The label will often say truffle oil, not truffle-flavored oil or something more accurate.
I'm nearly 100% sure that many people buy the product thinking they're getting some amount of actual truffle essence for an affordable price rather than the typical mix of odd chemicals the product usually contains.
Your point is interesting though. If I were to get "truffle-something" in a nice restaurant, I would have an expectation that it contains actual truffles. But whether it's a Michelin restaurant or McDonald's, I think it can be false advertising. One way around it would be to list the actual product brand in the description, such as "made with Bob's Truffle Oil", so that the restaurant is being honest. Perhaps McD's does that somewhere?