Heinz and Hunt's confirm their ketchups are vegetarian

Moldy oldie clean-up time. First, from a vegan in a quandary. I mean, who can you believe these days? Me, sweetie.

Dear Matthew Alice: Being a diehard vegan, I was rather upset when I read in your column that the “natural flavoring” in ketchup, Heinz ketchup to be exact, is actually meat juice. I ceased my consumption of ketchup then and there, which was actually no big deal. So during a recent trip to Faque Burger, my friend asked the owner what kind of ketchup he uses, and sure enough, he uses Heinz. He called Heinz after reading your column, and they assured him they use all-vegetarian ingredients. Now who am I supposed to believe? — Lisa, Chula Vista

Actually, it was the truth-seeker who asked the original question (What unlikely products include animal-derived ingredients?) who mentioned meat flavoring in Heinz. I only said some ketchups and sauces contain meat-extract flavoring without revealing that info on the label, and you really had to call the manufacturer to be sure. Both Heinz and Hunt’s ketchups are strictly vegetarian; the “natural flavorings” are their own proprietary concoctions of herbs and spices. So, Lisa, you can drink the stuff or rub it all over your body or just generally go wild, safe in the knowledge that Heinz ketchup has never even been in the same room with a cow. Vegans could save themselves a lot of headaches and label-reading if they’d shop in a kosher market. They offer vegetarian versions of many products that ordinarily contain dead-animal parts.