Heinz launches 'provocative' new tomato smoothie

Here in the UK, you simply can’t move for Heinz baked beans.

Volunteers wait outside tube stations with cups of them, handing them out like water at a marathon, and no woman’s handbag is complete without a serving of the musical fruit sloshing around at the bottom.

Wedding cakes have long since been retired in favour of wedding beans, and there hasn’t been a non-baked-bean water birth recorded in the UK since 1951.

If tomatoes are fruit, does that make ketchup a smoothie? (Thinglass/Getty Images)

With all those immutable truths in mind, it goes without saying that Heinz is almost as revered here as the Beckhams. But even this enlightened island may struggle to see the hype behind Heinz’s latest product announcement: the Heinz Tomato Ketchup Smoothie.

For the smoothie, ketchup is blended with açai sorbet, apple juice, strawberries and raspberries which, frankly, would probably make for a decent beverage without the tomato sauce.

Brave journalists at People have had a go on the red stuff, coming away ‘impressed by how well the savoury ketchup flavour blended with the sweet and tart berries’.

They continued: “While this isn’t the first time tomatoes have mingled with summer fruits — watermelon gazpacho, anyone? — we found the unexpected combination surprisingly flavourful. At first sip, the berries are the dominant taste, but then the ketchup adds another layer of dimension without being overpowering.”

Some of us will happily take their word for it and move on, but perhaps this is the beverage trend to usurp boba tea and matcha lattes from the top spots in the beverage zeitgeist.

According to a press release, the new product was inspired by social media chatter around how tomato ketchup, made with the fruit that is the humble tomato, counts as a smoothie.

“When we saw this cultural debate start gaining traction, we knew we had to weigh in with a resounding yes!” said Angie Madigan, Vice President of Elevation Marketing at Kraft Heinz, in the press release.

“The idea of a ketchup smoothie is provocative, and our top priority was landing a delicious tasting fruit smoothie with distinct yet well-balanced ketchup notes. The experts at Smoothie King helped make this dream a reality, and we’re absolutely thrilled with the final smoothie we created together.

Your next favourite beverage? (Kraft Heinz)

“And like it does for any food – from burgers to fries to eggs – the slightly sweet and tangy taste of HEINZ Ketchup elevates this traditional fruit smoothie to new heights.”

Lori Primavera, Vice President of R&D and Product Marketing at Smoothie King, added:

“After months of meticulous R&D, testing, and tasting, we landed on a savoury-sweet blend that celebrates the tomato in all its glory.

“As always, our commitment to nutritious ingredients and our Clean Blends promise remain at the heart of every recipe—and this bold new blend is no exception!”