The Gluten free author's guide to goodies—or not. Monday musings, on Same outside not in.

Hi all. Happy Monday, or whenever you are reading/skimming/ignoring this or rolling your eyes and muttering oh goodness she's at it again.

I hold my hands in the air, and admit that yes, if you are alert and have had your coffee (or wake up drink of choice), you'll notice today's blog has the dreaded 'or not' in its title. 

Because I'm talking about the same packaging, different contents of a certain type of condiment. A well known, name no names, brand of tomato ketchup. 

In the UK this is listed as using tomatoes, spirit vinegar etc. When we were on holiday recently, the same packaged product was made from tomato paste and 'vinegar'. Not spirit vinegar. (Amongst other things.)

I'll own up and admit I didn't look at the ingredients when I generously dolloped it on my chips. After all, it was the same label, type of bottle, brand we use at home, so I didn't see any reason to. But I didn't turn it around and look at the reverse.

Boy I won't make that mistake again.

It was purchased from a reputable supermarket, wasn't labelled as g-f, etc etc, so this was totally my own fault, but...

The moral of this musing is read before you eat.

It's the one thing we know to do. Check the ingredients. But how often do you think to check if something you have enjoyed for years has actually changed the recipe unless it has those 'new improved recipe' or whatever on it?

For that matter, why would you assume the same food as you eat in 'x' is made to a totally different recipe in 'y'? 

I pondered over this, and thought, well actually I do know that happens because foods can and are altered for specific tastes.Think a type of curry you eat in India to the one you eat down your local high street, or the lucky people in Europe who can get g-f buns with a famous burger that we can't in the UK.

So why would ketchup be any different?

The moral of this story as I said before...

Read before you eat.

Those of us who can't eat gluten check out what is and isn't available where we are going, and full our suitcases with what we will need to stop ourselves going hungry while we are away.  I have a feeling Ketchup might well be tucked in mine if I do go back to that place again.

Happy reading...and eating,

love Raven x