May 15, 2010

Heinz ketchup -- the new New Coke

There are some culinary classics that you simply do not fuck with. A dry martini. A shrimp cocktail. Biscuits and Sausage Gravy. Miso Soup. Coca Cola. Heinz Ketchup. We can all remember when the buying public handed Coca Cola's collective ass to them when the New Coke was rolled out back in 1985. From the New York Post:
Big shakeup for ketchup
Heinz changing its recipe to slash salt

Your fries may never taste the same again!

For the first time in 40 years, Heinz ketchup is changing its famous recipe -- by lowering the salt content in an effort to appeal to more health-conscious consumers, the company said yesterday.

Company officials have taste tested the new blend and believe it will be as popular as their old recipe, which has a 60 percent share of the ketchup market.

But Heinz fans fear that the company may be messing with perfection and that the switch could wind up a flavor debacle equal to the infamous rollout of New Coke.
Should be interesting to see if any head roll in a couple months. You simply do not eat enough ketchup to really matter when looking at a persons overall sodium intake. Idiots... Posted by DaveH at May 15, 2010 9:24 PM | TrackBack
Comments

I'm certain there are people who need to reduce their sodium intake (just as there are people that need to reduce their TOTAL intake!). But I wonder how much of the salt/sodium "crisis" is real. Too bad we can't get some REAL scientific research on such issues. I'm leery that sodium is just another "invaders from outer space" or AGW.

I'm old enough to remember my seniors who lived without refrigeration. Salt was not the seasoning, but the preservative. My elders told me how much salt they bought, and all of it was eventually consumed. Both my grandfathers lived to be in their 90's, even though both smoked! Does high levels of sodium cure lung cancer???

Posted by: geran at May 16, 2010 8:06 AM