Globally, the fraudulent food industry could be worth $40 billion. It hurts legitimate producers, funds criminal activities, and can even harm consumers. This documentary video uncovers how producers around the world get away with food deception and how you can spot the real stuff.
We hate to break it to you, but your truffle oil wasn't made from truffles.
Your vanilla extract? Well, that's probably just a lab-made derivative of crude oil.
And your shaker of Parmesan cheese? It probably has wood pulp inside.
0:00 Intro
1:08 Truffles
3:44 Maple Syrup
5:19 Wasabi
7:42 Parmesan Cheese
11:15 Vanilla
12:58 Caviar
14:40 Honey
17:30 Olive Oil
20:04 Wagyu Beef
22:20 Coffee
24:05 Saffron
25:58 How criminals get away with selling fakes
You might feel that many trusted companies behind these food products are using deceptive packaging — but unfortunately it's totally legal.
However, there's a whole other level of trickery that's completely illegal: The food fraud. That's when criminals bottle up corn syrup and call it 100% honey, or when they pass off cheap mozzarella as pure Parmigiano-Reggiano.