<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
 
At 12:04 AM 11/18/95 -0800, Mary Courtney <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
 
>Look to see if RAGU contains tomato paste as an ingredient.  For some
>reason, labels don't have to disclose how the tomato paste is made, and the
>paste may be thickened with flour.
 
I doubt it is thickened with flour. But, it is highly likely to include HVP
as a sub ingredient. While the law clearly permits manufacturers to not list
ingredients of ingredients, the hidden ingredients would have to be ones
that are regularly used as a sub ingredient for that item. In the tomato
paste section I have never seen any thickened with flour, but most of them
do have HVP (as one can then use cheaper tomatoes).
 
Ragu also lists natural flavorings. When I called then a while back they
refused to disclose what this was, citing it being proprietary. However, in
a Consumer Report article of a few years back, Ragu was highly rated.
Usually that means the product has a lot of HVP/MSG, which is actually a
drug (an excitotoxin) that stimulates your brain and tricks it to thinking
the food tastes better.
 
By putting the HVP in two places on the ingredient list, they can list the
natural flavors further down.
 
Here in the NYC area we can buy Colavita spaghetti sauces. They do not list
tomato paste or natural flavors. They are GF, but not cheap.
 
Don.