What does the cryptic crossword clue "Brought up a lot of vegetarian food sadly (4)" mean?

The definition is "sadly". The wordplay uses a reversal. SALA (reversal="SALA") = ALAS; definition: "sadly" The answer is ALAS.

Brought up a lot of vegetarian food sadly (4)

Independent Cryptic #11852 | 21 Down | 2024-10-04 flower