• Navigation icon for News

    News

    • US Food
    • UK Food
    • Drinks
    • Celebrity
    • Restaurants and bars
    • TV and Film
    • Social Media
  • Navigation icon for Cooking

    Cooking

    • Recipes
    • Air fryer
  • Navigation icon for Health

    Health

    • Diet
    • Vegan
  • Navigation icon for Fast Food

    Fast Food

    • McDonalds
    • Starbucks
    • Burger King
    • Subway
    • Dominos
  • Facebook
    Instagram
    YouTube
    TikTok
    X
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube
TikTok
X
Submit Your Content
Heinz made clever change to bottle design to make sure restaurants aren’t misleading customers

Home> News> Restaurants and bars

Updated 11:00 7 May 2025 GMT+1Published 09:12 22 Apr 2025 GMT+1

Heinz made clever change to bottle design to make sure restaurants aren’t misleading customers

“Ketchup fraud” is a serious issue for the guys behind the best ketchup and beans in town.

Rachael Davis

Rachael Davis

There are plenty of serviceable ketchups out there, but let’s face it: most of us are making a beeline for Heinz.

And of course, when you pile into a generous serving of the red stuff, you want the genuine article.

Even those of who are still smashing through a pack of cigarettes a day in the year of our Lord 2025 will be able to tell if it’s not the real thing.

Much like Coca-Cola, Heinz’s ketchup has its own particular flavour that no one can seem to replicate.

It doesn’t stop some rotters in the restaurant industry from trying to pull the wool over our eyes – or tongues – by refilling genuine bottles with some knock-off red gunge.

The new label confirms whether your sauce is real - Man Behaving Dadly via Facebook
The new label confirms whether your sauce is real - Man Behaving Dadly via Facebook

When you think of tomato ketchup, the majority of people's minds go straight to Heinz.

Heinz is having none of it: those canny ketchup connoisseurs have got a reputation to uphold.

"Useless but slightly interesting fact,” began Facebook user Man Behaving Dadly.

“Heinz are so tired of restaurants and cafés refilling their bottles with non-Heinz ketchup to ‘fool customers’ that they’ve developed a label sticker where the outer border matches the exact colour of genuine Heinz ketchup. If it matches, it’s the real deal. If it doesn’t, it’s condiment fraud."

See the image above for confirmation of the cunning ploy.

People have naturally had plenty to say

"Don’t need a sticker, we know when we taste it," said one user who knows the score.

"If you can't even notice the difference between Heinz and other brands is something really wrong with you," said another sauce sommelier.

"I've eaten in cafes and seen the staff 'top up' Heinz bottles with value stuff. Dangerous game to play if there's allergens in one but not the other," said a safety-conscious commenter.

"It's actually sad that they have to do this!” said another commenter despairing at the state of the world. “Shouldn't happen because of allergies. It could be really dangerous."

Heinz hasn’t been quiet about the issue, either. In a previous ad campaign, the company urged customers to be vigilant to the dinner table scourge of ‘ketchup fraud’.

Some ketchup fans aren't too fussy - Westend61 via Getty Images
Some ketchup fans aren't too fussy - Westend61 via Getty Images

"We saw someone caught in the act of refilling Heinz with generic ketchup, which prompted us to dig in further, and through social listening we discovered that this was a true and widespread behaviour,” said Megan Lang, Global Head of Brand Communications and Creativity at Heinz.

"We thought, what better way to express our core brand belief that ’It Has to Be Heinz’ than to simply amplify an existing consumer behaviour in a supportive and funny way?"

Let’s hope those responsible face the justice they deserve.

Featured Image Credit: Steve Prezant via Getty Images

Topics: Fast Food, UK Food

Rachael Davis
Rachael Davis

Choose your content:

a day ago
  • Kyle Rivas / Contributor/Getty ImagesKyle Rivas / Contributor/Getty Images
    a day ago

    Inside Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes' 1587 Prime Steakhouse

    Touchdown!

    News
  • New Zealand PoliceNew Zealand Police
    a day ago

    New photos of fugitive dad Tom Phillips' campsite show how family survived in wilderness

    Tom Phillips lived in the wilderness for four years with his children before being killed in a shootout with police

    News
  • Gareth Davies/Getty ImagesGareth Davies/Getty Images
    a day ago

    Ben & Jerry's founders say brand must be 'freed' from owners after being 'silenced'

    The much-loved ice cream brand has hit out at owners Unilever

    News
  • Tunnel to Towers Tunnel to Towers
    a day ago

    Arizona Beverages releases new drink in honour of 9/11 firefighter

    The beverage will support the families of first responders killed in 9/11

    News
  • McDonald's CEO shares concern over major change among customers
  • Popular US chain set to open 57 new UK restaurants amid huge European takeover
  • Subway launches genius alternative to bread rolls following successful trial
  • Quality Street fans fuming over major change to tubs