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Ingredients you *never* want to see in hot sauce

Chemical preservatives
Artifical flavors/colors/sweeteners
Caramel color (read up on that shizz)
HFCS
Liquid Smoke
Water (as first ingredient)
Hidden ingredients ("Natural Flavor" and anything "Hydrolyzed" are ways to hide MSG... just say MSG, I actually don't mind it! Too bad it's taboo, it's natural.)
Peppers without a name
GMOs
 
That's about it. I prefer all natural, and I'll try any flavor! To LD: Spinach? Sure. Spinach artichoke dip is awesome. Could be a hot sauce for baked potatoes, chicken pitas, etc. Cloves? Could use in Jerk. Anchovies? Why not. Fermented anchovies makes fish sauce, good for Thai. I'll at least try them.
 
Potassium sorbate
Sodium benzoate
Sulphur dioxide or any sulphides
Yeast extract
Modified starch
Artificial colours
Artificial flavour (i don't give a rat's arse if it's nature identical!)
Artificial sweetners!  Aaaaaargh
 
Anything listed under the GRAS heading. What's GRAS, it stands for Generally Recognized As Generally recognized as safe (GRAS)
These four little words seem to have become the FDA mantra when it comes to food additives and covers an expansive array of chemical additives that have been generally recognized as safe in scientific studies. Taken out of context and looked at individually, maybe a little ammonium sulfate here and a petroleum product there arent going to cause quantitative damage to lab animals. I like
Michael Pollan's advice, "Don't eat anything your grandmother wouldn't recognize as food."
 
oregano. It's such a strong flavor and one I automatically associate with Italian food. 
 
Want to make a spicy pasta sauce? I'm all for it. Spicy sauce for pizza or lasagna? Go for it. 
 
Oregano in a hot sauce? I'll pass. 
 
Try toasting your own cumin seeds to bring out the natural oils and nuttiness, then pulverize and add to your sauce. There is a big difference between that and powdered stuff. 
 
I'm not so sure about the spinach on your list...I thought about trying some in a green sauce recently. 
 
I'll go along with the all natural crowd and also find it a little off putting when it just says "peppers" Reeeally, peppers. Who'd've thought?
 
Though not vegetarian myself, I think meat products can generally be discounted as hot sauce ingredients...umm except for bacon. Oh and chorizo, and maybe Andouille. Okay maybe the whole pork family.
 
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