Here’s why you must throw that bottle of Tomato Ketchup away | The Times of India (2024)

FAQs

Why did Heinz ketchup fail in India? ›

Heinz tweaked the global concoction to suit Indian taste buds, but even that wasn't palatable. To begin with, Heinz got the pricing completely wrong, say retailers. Competitors like Nestle's Maggi and Hindustan Lever's Kissan were selling 500 gm bottles of tomato ketchup for Rs 55 and Rs 49 respectively.

In the 1830s, tomato ketchup was sold as a medicine that could cure ailments like diarrhea, indigestion, and jaundice. The idea was initially proposed by Dr. John Cook Bennett, an American physician, in 1834, who later decided to sell the recipe in the form of 'tomato pills'.

The latter defect is referred as �Black neck defect�. The tannins present in spices get extracted into the ketchup and when these phenolic compounds come in contact with iron leached out either from processing vessels or from the closure of ketchup bottles, they form ferrous tannate.

It contains high quantities of sugar, salt, fructose, preservatives and corn syrup. All of these ingredients when combined together have an adverse effect on the body.

"Israel has recently banned Heinz ketchup from the country and they say it's because it doesn't have high enough amount of tomatoes in it. But there are a couple of more reasons why it was banned ... Heinz is loaded with high fructose corn syrup, which is extremely unhealthy.

In 1973, a tomato shortage hit Heinz hard, and the company decided its glass bottle business would take priority over bulk accounts. Needless to say, McDonald's' executives weren't happy with this and abruptly ended the exclusive agreement.

As it turns out, they're the same thing!

Ketchup and catsup are both Westernized terms for a condiment that has origins in China: fish sauce. Ketchup as we know it today is a modernized version of fish sauce, which was made in port towns on the South China Sea with salted and fermented anchovies.

Ketchup has a surprisingly long evolution that originated in China. The first version was based on pickled fish and looked more like a soy sauce – with a dark and thin texture. It was called “keh-jup” or “koe-cheup,” meaning “fish sauce.”

Ketchup was used as medicine

In the 1830s, tomato ketchup used to be sold as a medicine, claiming to cure ailments like diarrhoea, indigestion, and jaundice.

The tomato sauce will become the preferred medium by the bacteria to grow and multiply. Salmonella, BacillusandEnterobacter are examples of genus food contaminating bacteria that could threaten or endanger human health [5].

What is the black stuff inside tomato? ›

Some tomato varieties are more prone to cracking than others. Spots usually begin on ripe fruit as a sunken, flattened spot without a halo. As the spot enlarges it develops a bull's-eye appearance. Internal tissue may be black resembling black mold that has entered through cracks or as a result of blossom-end rot.

Black spot, also commonly known as early blight or target spot, is a serious fungal disease affecting vegetables belonging to the Solanaceae family. Disease hosts include tomatoes, potatoes, capsic*ms and eggplants. Outbreaks are favoured by warm, wet growing conditions and yield losses can be significant.

Heinz supplied McDonald's customers with its fan-favorite ketchup packets for more than 40 years.

However, some ketchup varieties prove high in sugar and salt. Plus, a few of ketchup's ingredients could aggravate your stomach if you have acid reflux, gluten-related disorders, or tomato allergies. To get the most health benefits from ketchup, try to limit your intake to no more than a few tablespoons at one time.

This type of ketchup failed for numerous reasons. Yes, they made the bottle design and color to attract children. But children aren't the ones buying the ketchup. Adults don't want to be putting different colored "goo" as many called it, on their food.

Heinz Ketchup is available in India in two varieties, the standard Tomato Ketchup and Tomato Chili Sauce.

For more than 20 years, a pair of huge Heinz Tomato Ketchup bottles adorned the scoreboard at Heinz Field, pouring one out for Steelers wins. The motorized sculptures — complete with labels and iconic white caps — were removed in 2022, when Heinz (now Kraft Heinz) ceded the stadium naming rights to Acrisure.

Ketchup primarily consists of tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, and spices. On the other hand, sauce can have a broader range of ingredients, including fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, and sometimes even meat or seafood, creating a more diverse flavour profile.