Heinz Tomato Ketchup facts for kids
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| Type | Tomato Ketchup |
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| Owner | Kraft Heinz |
| Country | United States |
| Introduced | 1876 |
| Markets | Worldwide |
| Previous owners | H.J. Heinz Company |
| Tagline | It has to be Heinz |
Heinz Tomato Ketchup is a brand of ketchup manufactured by the H. J. Heinz Company, a division of the Kraft Heinz Company.
History
It was first marketed as "catsup" in 1876 In 1907, manufacturing reached 12 million bottles and it was exported internationally including Australia, South America, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa and the UK. In January 2009, the label was changed by replacing the picture of a gherkin pickle with a picture of a tomato. In 2012, there were more than 650 million bottles sold worldwide.
Manufacturing
Heinz manufactures all of its tomato ketchup for their USA market at two plants: one in Fremont, Ohio, and the other in Muscatine, Iowa. They closed their Canadian plant in Leamington, Ontario in 2014. That plant is now owned by French's Food Company and manufactures French's Tomato Ketchup for the Canadian market. Globally, Heinz manufactures ketchup in factories across the world, including the UK and the Netherlands. Although there is one basic recipe for their ketchup, there are variations tailored to regional tastes, and usually depend on the country where it is manufactured.
Varieties
In addition to manufacturing their regular tomato ketchup, they manufacture a variety made with sugar,
In 2000, they manufactured coloured ketchup in squeezable containers appreciated by young children. The colours were red, green, purple, pink, orange, teal, and blue. These varieties were discontinued in 2006.
In 2011 they also started manufacturing a variety with balsamic vinegar. This variety was discontinued in 2018.
In September 2018, they released "Mayochup", combining ketchup and mayonnaise. Mixtures containing mayonnaise and ketchup predate the release.
In April 2019, they released "Kranch", combining ketchup and ranch salad dressing. The new sauce received a mixed reception online, with Newsweek saying that it "might seem as if Kranch is a flight of fancy from a drunken frat boy" but that some consumers were nevertheless interested.
On June 5 2019, (which is National Ketchup Day), Heinz, and Ed Sheeran, released a limited-edition ketchup known as Ed Sheeran X Heinz ketchup, popularly known as “Edchup”.
In March 2021, they released "Tarchup" combining ketchup and tartar sauce and "Sweet Ketchili" combining ketchup and sweet chili sauce.
Packaging
Heinz ketchup is packaged in glass and plastic bottles of various sizes. They introduced their octagonal glass bottle for the first time in 1889 and it was patented in 1890. While other glass bottle designs have existed, the octagonal glass bottle is still in use and is considered to be an iconic example of package design.
In restaurants, the glass bottle commonly used contains about 14 ounces (400 g) of ketchup. In 2002, the upside-down, squeezable plastic bottle (an opaque red bottle with a wide white cap on the bottom) was introduced for restaurants. It makes dispensing ketchup easier than from the glass bottle. The design also generates less waste as the ketchup settles down to the dispensing valve. Similarly designed squeezable bottles, in several different sizes, are available in grocery stores. It is also packaged as single serving packets made of foil and/or plastic. In 2010, Heinz introduced Dip & Squeeze, a single serving packet designed for either dipping or squeezing. A small bottle containing about 2.25 ounces (64 g) of ketchup is packaged for room service in hotels or situations where single serving packets associated with fast-food restaurants is undesirable.
Larger amounts, generally intended for the foodservice industry, are packaged in metal cans, rigid plastic containers, flexible plastic bags and a bag-in-box format. These larger containers can usually be fitted with pumps or placed into dispensers for self service in fast-food restaurants. A bag containing 3 US gallons (11 L) is the largest format intended for restaurants. An IBC tote containing 260 US gallons (980 L) is sold to food manufacturers.
Counterfeiting scheme
In 2012, an alleged scheme to repackage regular Heinz ketchup into bottles labelled with counterfeit "Simply Heinz" labels failed when the ketchup apparently began to ferment and the bottles exploded. At the time, according to a Heinz spokesman, they were working with the US Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigation. No further information is available about this incident either at the FDA, Kraft Heinz Company or the Dover, New Jersey Police Department's websites.
