A few days back, I came across a full front page ad by Veeba on TOI. The product advertised was their tomato ketchup along with the tagline "No added preservatives" in big, bold letters. I had to find out more about this product. As I looked through the ingredients, yes, there are no added Class II preservatives.
But isn't this a sufficient criterion to claim that this product is "made with quality ingredients"?The 3rd and 4th ingredients are Sugar and Liquid Glucose. As I compared the sugar values with that of other tomato ketchup brands, Veeba has the highest sugar content. Around 40% of this ketchup is nothing but SUGAR.
Iodised salt is the 5th ingredient but Sodium values are not mentioned in the nutrition facts table.
If preservatives aren't used, how does the product sit on the retail shelves for 9 months? Something that brands need to explain to consumers.
Ketchup has become a staple commodity in our pantry these days. High amounts of sugar and salt, which are addictive and that we are ingesting without much awareness. Kids are being trained to eat their chapathis/parathas/dosas with ketchup.
Let's question every product that enters our kitchen/fridge. Let's read through their labels carefully and not fall for the tall claims. If one harmful ingredient is removed, it doesn't mean the product is healthy.