Sudan 1 and anchovies

[Xollob]

I try and avoid the filth that is peddled by the so-called food industry and like to think I have probably not eaten anything contaminated by Sudan 1. What I find particulary distasteful in this whole affair is the rampant use in all manner of dishes of Worcester sauce - a key ingredient of which is anchovies. I'm not a veggie myself, but some of my best friends are strictly herbivore and I'm sure they'd be less than chuffed to discover they're eating fish in their "Happy Farmhouse Vegetable Pie" or whatever.

Are the "food" manufacturers required to list also the ingredients of the ingredients, or is it just not possible without a scandal like this to find out what they're up to?

[incitatus]

the problem here is what is called compound labelling.  No, food manufacturers do not have to list ingredients of commonly available ingredients provided they are designated as such.  Hence you can have "butter" listed as an ingredient, rather than "churned whole cows milk, salt, vitamin d and e.".  People on self restricted diets like vegetarians have to read labels.  A vegetarian meal with Worcester sauce in it would not gain the approval of the vegetarian society and get the little green v that goes on the packet.  Worcester sauce is as common an ingredient in british cookery as, say, nuoc plam in oriental cookery.  It is assumed people know what is in it.

[Gef]

Excellent answer from incitatus. Anyway, Xollob, why would your herbivore friends be eating "the filth that is peddled by the so-called food industry"? Surely they would be making their own nutritious dishes from scratch.

[Xollob]

Incitatus, thanks for the answer. That's fine if indeed Worcester sauce is listed as an ingredient by name, but what if it just appears under something like "spices and seasoning"?

And Gef, yes, in an ideal world we'd all be eating much more nutritious home-made fare. But I think that veggies have the right to buy something clearly meant to be vegetarian, such as Vegetable Farmhouse Bake or whatever, and not be worried about undeclared meat or fish products. Am I being naive?

[Gef]

I think you probably are being a little naive Xollob. For example, I often make leek and potato soup but I use chicken stock (home-made) and milk in it. As Incitatus says, the little green v is more important than the "title" of the dish.