In the UK...There was Standard Labeling on Products Clearly Stating if the Product is Vegetarian Friendly... In America...I am a Little more Confused...Maybe I grew Lazy on just Looking for the Little Green Tick in the UK that the Product is Veggie Go... But in America...I Do Not Find any kind of Indication that a Product is Suitable for Vegetarians or Not... I am Not Exactly sure what I am Looking to Avoid... I have just been Sticking to Basic Food Groups...I am just Not sure what to Do... Perhaps I am Needing to Re-Educate myself...
eat real food if you eat from a package, look at the ingredients. if it's ketchup, and it says it has natural flavors, it's most likely beef fat. (see heinz, hunts, etc) You have to be careful. There's so many fucked up things in America's "diet"
try all natural food stores - you would be more likely to find veg friendly foods adn people who know what is and is not vegetarian.
I know that's what they claim, but, I've heard elsewhere that heinz and hunts' natural flavors is beef fat. That's enough to make me simply make my own ketchup, which is twice as good as theirs anyway
Man just look at the ingredients! Thats all you gotta do.. The natural flavors thing can be tricky but you don't run into that too often. Is there really beef fat in ketchup?!??
it's more a case of natural flavor CAN be animal based, so it's a red flag. Stalk, post your recipe in munchies, please. I need a decent ketchup recipe.
Yep, natural flavors is a biggie for me too. It can mean SO many things! I find it's easiest to go to websites for any new brands/foods I'm curious about, and check around for their FAQ page. Two of the questions that ALWAYS seem to appear there, are "Do your products contain gluten?" and "Are your products vegetarian/vegan?" From there I can usually find a list, or link to what is/isn't "safe." Otherwise, I'll call the company & ask. It takes awhile to go through every company I'm curious about, but if you really want to know it's easier than hunting around on the internet, because then you know you're getting the absolute most up-to-date info as different companies change their recipes & formulas fairly often. love, mom
A-1 steak sauce is a great example of that. It was veg for a few formulations, but natural, beef-extracted (not actual extract, though) flavor became cheaper, so it is in use again. Want a fun ride on the additive express? Read "Twinkie, Deconstructed." There's also a chapter in Fast Food Nation on the author's visit to a flavor and fragrance factory chasing down just what these flavors are. It was also used in Atlantic Monthly as a separate article.
