ketchup

Heinz To Sell Upmarket Version Of Ketchup
Heinz didn't get the message that it's unfashionable to cater to the 1% crowd. They're coming out with a 58th variety of ketchup. A kind for fancypants. It's more "upscale" because it uses balsamic vinegar instead of white wine vinegar. More »

Make Your Own Ketchup, No HFCS Necessary
If you'd rather not have your ketchup sweetened by sketchy high-fructose corn syrup, you may want to consider making your own. More »

Food Companies Start Listening To Customers, Ditch High Fructose Corn Syrup
Do Americans feel strongly enough about high fructose corn syrup to seek out food without it? Will anyone go out of their way and pay extra to find soda or ketchup without the controversial corn-based sweetener? AdAge reports that some companies are removing it from their products, but have discovered that marketing the change without alienating consumers who weren't aware of or simply don't care about the presence of HFCS poses unique problems. More »

Our Long National Nightmare Is Over: Heinz Redesigns Ketchup Packet
Your suffering may finally be over, fast food fiends. No more awkwardly torn ketchup packets and tomato-soaked fingers. No more dipping your fries into a dollop of ketchup on a napkin or burger wrapper. NO. Heinz has introduced the ketchup packet 2.0, and the future looks...well, remarkably like the containers of McNugget dipping sauces McDonald's has been using since the '80s. But it's still an improvement. More »

Kids Design Cute Heinz Ketchup Packets, Learning Important Early Lessons In Mass-Market Commodification

—>Today my sandwich came with these Heinz ketchup packets with cute little designs on them, part of an insidious plot to sell more ketchup.  More »

Grocery Growth Ray To Hit Ketchup, Chips

—>A grocery growth ray is set to hit a popular condiment and several kinds of baked corn with names ending "tos." To push the brands as being good values, Heinz will be selling slightly larger ketchup bottles, and Frito-Lay is adding 20% to Tostitos, Fritos, Cheetos and Doritos - without raising the price. Unlike the grocery shrink ray, you can bet this change will be loudly trumpeted on the package.  More »

Do Not Be Lured Into Target's 2 For $4 Heinz Ketchup Trap

—>Andrew writes in to let us know that he's started to look more carefully at prices when shopping at Target... and so far it's saved him $0.61 on ketchup...  More »

This frugal mother keeps all the ketchup packets she ever gets from fast food places, puts them in a kitchen drawer, and when the ketchup bottle runs out, spends an hour with a funnel and scissors, refilling the bottle. Imagine how much more money she could have saved, in real dollars and health costs, if she forwent fast food in the first place. [Wisebread via Blogging Away Debt]  More »

User-Generated Content Won't Displace Madison Avenue Anytime Soon

—>Many people see ads and think they could do better. According to the New York Times, no, they can't. The Times is following the struggle of H.J. Heinz to find five user-generated ads to air on TV sometime this September. Companies like Heinz are discovering that user-generated content doesn't save time or money. For the foreseeable future, Madison Avenue will be responsible for creating the ads we love to hate.

Many entries are mediocre, if not downright bad, and sifting through them requires full-time attention. And even the most well-known brands often spend millions of dollars up front to get the word out to consumers.

We prefer YouTube's user-generated content to the schmaltz spewing from Madison Avenue. What do you think: is the content really worse, or are companies unwilling to step away from their comfort zones? Tell us in the comments. — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER  More »

Woman Sues McDonald s for Bloody Fries
s after finding blood slathered inside her fry box.   More »