Yes, I’d suspect that the ‘vegetable broth’ is the same thing. I was looking at canned tuna, not pouches (and it was a few years ago). From Wikipedia:
My impression is that they called it HVP, so we wouldn’t know it had MSG; I wouldn’t be surprised to learn they now call it vegetable broth, so we don’t know it’s HVP (which is really hidden MSG). Alas, there’s no Whole Foods store anywhere near me.
In the end, it appears that you, Barbarian, and I agree that we’d prefer that there was only tuna and water (or oil) in our tuna.
No, I wasn’t buying tuna in oil. It was clearly labelled tuna ‘packed in water’. I ended up buying other brands, and now I’m in a country that hasn’t yet starting throwing soy in with the fish, but now I have to check the labels again for veggie broth.
If only someone could tell me why I can’t find vegetarian soup made without beef, I’d be a happy camper.