to think that Gluten free pork sausage rolls are not vegetarian?

[Bigmouthstrikesagain]

Really irritated by this and feel a strongly worded letter or email coming on... maybe I need to get out more!?

Anyway - in my local Tesco recently I noticed that the Vegetarian frozen section had gained some 'Dietary special' products - pizzas sausage rolls, lasagne that are for people with gluten allergies so they are not vegetarian, but they were in the section reserved for these products. The meat products across the aisle have gained some random veggie sausages and burgers, presumably to make rool for the Dietary specials.

Recalling my lovely but dopey housemate years ago who bought 'Organic' beef burgers thinkinhg that meant they were veggie I had visions of people buyingthe DS Sausage rolls thinking they were veggie. So I spoke to the shop manager about this.

Soon after I noticed that the 'Vegetarian' label was removed from the freezer containing the non-veggie interlopers but nowt else moved or changed.

Doing some online frozen shopping I looked in the Vegetarian and meat-free sectiion on the Tesco website those 'Dietary Special' products are in there and it just does not make sense to me. Domeone with a gluten allergy won't know to look in veggie surely and vegetarians could easily buy them in error. Shurely sshome mishtake!

Just seems really wierd am I the only one to notice this or am I just really pedantic?

arrgh lost[sic] of hideous typos in that post apologies

YANBU. It's daft!

here they are

Are you worried that vegetarians might not notice the word "Pork" in "Pork Sausages" or the word "Beef" in "Beefburgers"?

" vegetarians could easily buy them in error."

Ah. You are.

whoops got to pick children up - back anon

doesn't mention pork unless you look at the ingredients same with the lasagne (not on web link)

Yes, that is a problem with eating a restricted diet, you sometimes need to read the ingredients. Do you have any reason to believe that vegetarians (who come in various hues, and will therefore have differing attitudes towards particular ingredients) are unable to deal with this?

I am no longer vegetarian, but was for some years (indeed, for several years I was essentially vegan). I have no conscious memory of ever accidentally buying meat product. But then, the concept of people being vegetarian and yet buying ready-meal lasagne and sausages from Tesco is one I'm still wrestling with. Wouldn't, you know, cooking be a better idea?

I tend to dislike it when 'health foods' are put in the same section as 'vegetarian' foods.. Our local shop has the 'free from' section next to the 'vegetarian' section, which is fine, because they're both specialist diets.

Still, unless it's really not clear, you'd have to be pretty stupid...

Of course people should check ingredients but I still don't see how the random grouping of meat products with vegetarian is a sensible arrangement - either for display purposes or on the website.

Thank you for the sermon on cooking Tokyo - as a veggie for over 20 years I have cooked for myself without the aid of 'meat free' products very happily for many years - but sometimes fancy a plate of (homemade) mash, beans and veggie sausages - so shoot me. But allow me to offer a you a homemade. vegetarian and gluten-free

I am quite sure you are right Bright

YANBU. There should be a level of understanding between shop and customer that things in the vegetarian and meat-free section are, in fact, vegetarian and meat-free. Regardless of whether shoppers have the brain power to know the difference between products that contain meat or not, the way they are currently operating is a mistake. I fail to see why they can't have a seperate section on the website for 'dietary specials'. In the shop, they could share shelf space (but not mixed IYGWIM) but there is no need for this to happen on the website.

I'm going to email to make a complaint/ask for reasons as to why they do this. I'll be back with the response as/when I get one. :)

Btw, I'm entirely capable of knowing what has meat in, but it's possible that someone shopping for me (family/partner) would not think to check the ingredients (especially if doing an online shop) and I would end up eating something containing meat because they assume something in the vegetarian section was vegetarian.

thank you tainted - I will be doing an email myself this evening - it is just a strange way of categorising - and THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO SEE THAT AT tESCO. RANDOM CAPITALISING SORRY OFF TO PICK UP MORE CHILDREN

You're quite right, it's very bizarre. If the section was titled 'Dietary Specials' and it contained veggie stuff, that's one thing, but the category title is misleading as it stands. Wonder who thought this way was a good idea? Quite odd.

BrightLight, I agree with you, it's standard practice to put them next to each other and that's not something I object to. But putting meat products in a part of the website that it specifically states is a vegetarian and meat-free section? That's wrong.

Oh I'm sure there's a reason for it, I just don't agree with the conclusion IYGWIM.

I used to have a running battle with my local Tesco because they used to insist on putting tuna pasta bake in the veggie freezer section. Obviously I know better than to buy it for myself, but when I would visit my Gran she would just pick up something for me in the veggie freezer section and one day was really upset she had bought the tuna bake and not realised, so she had nothing to give me. Surely they should consider the embarrassment factor for customers feeding vegetarian guests?

I am curious about this:
'But then, the concept of people being vegetarian and yet buying ready-meal lasagne and sausages from Tesco is one I'm still wrestling with. Wouldn't, you know, cooking be a better idea?'

Um, Tokyo, why are vegetarians not allowed to buy ready meals?

vegetarians can read though ..most people would check surely?

I took that to be food snobbery, but I could be wrong?

food snobbery on MN? surely not

I'm a veggie and a reader of labels. Plus I cook a lot. But I know many omnivores who would be confused about what is and isn't veggie, especially if it was all in the same section.