TOMATO KETCHUPS — CLOSEST TO HOMEMADE®

Information updated October 2024

Yum! French Fries! And don't forget the ketchup, please! :)

According to Statista 2024, Tomato Ketchup is the #2 pourable-squeezable-spreadable condiment in the U.S. after mayonnaise. Although the leading brands of ketchup are Far From Homemade™, there is some good news in the Ketchup category!

The good news is there are several ketchup brands which are Closest To Homemade.

The homemade recipe for Tomato Ketchup includes Tomatoes, Vinegar, Salt, Onion Powder, Spices and possibly Sugar.

KRAFT HEINZ’S HEINZ KETCHUP: Today, the basic Heinz Ketchup is the #1 selling ketchup in the U.S. (Source: Statista 2024) When Heinz Ketchup was introduced, it was made with Closer To Homemade ingredients like freshly ground spices and cane sugar which came from sugar cane. (Source: Historical Heinz Ketchup print advertisement show below)

NOW - KRAFT HEINZ’S HEINZ TOMATO KETHUP IS BANNED AT WHOLE FOODS MARKET: Let's look at a THEN VS. NOW comparison of Heinz Ketchup decades ago vs. October 2024 when Heinz Tomato Ketchup is banned at Whole Foods Market because it contains High Fructose Corn Syrup which Whole Foods cites as “Unacceptable in food.” (Source for banned ingredients: Amazon Whole Foods Web site 10/24)

THEN - HEINZ KETCHUP WAS ONCE Closest To Homemade: Heinz Ketchup was once made with only four ingredients including Cane Sugar as an added sweetener. Now, Heinz Ketchup is made with eight ingredients including Tomato Concentrate plus added “Natural Flavoring” and two added sweeteners >> High Fructose Corn Syrup and Corn Syrup << both of which come from corn. (Source: Kraft Heinz Heinz Web site 10/24) According to the USDA 2024, 92% of U.S. corn is genetically modified. 

One tablespoon of Kraft Heinz’s Heinz Tomato Ketchup has 4 grams of sugar >> there is some naturally occurring sugar in the tomato concentrate, but the majority of the 4 grams per tablespoon in Heinz Ketchup is coming from the added sugars in the form of HFCS and Corn Syrup.

Q: Why do you think kids adore ketchup so much?                                  

Q: Why do you think Kraft Heinz switched to corn syrup sweeteners? Was this a benefit to the consumers or the corporation?

The "tag line" for Heinz Ketchup is "Grown Not Made" which appears on the package.  Print advertisements such as the following have run in the past under this campaign:

Does this "No one grows Ketchup like Heinz" ad idea + visual above accurately reflect the reality of Heinz Ketchup ingredients >> Tomato Concentrate, Distilled Vinegar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup, Salt, Spice, Onion Powder and Natural Flavoring? 

ADDED FLAVORING:  Natural Flavoring is added to Heinz Ketchup.  Natural Flavoring is a commercial-grade vague banner term for a collection of ingredients that are Not In Kitchen™.  According to the Environmental Working Group 2024, "Added flavoring, both natural and artificial, could contain anywhere from 50 to 100 ingredients. The mixture will often have some solvent and preservatives - and that makes up 80 to 90 percent of the volume (of the flavoring) . . .  it still has artificial ingredients.”

“In a database of over 80,000 foods, ‘Natural Flavors’ is actually the fourth most common ingredient used in processed food. The only ingredients that come before it? Salt, water and sugar.”  -- EWG

SIMPLY HEINZ IS MORE LIKE THE ORIGINAL HEINZ KETCHUP: By switching their base ketchup recipe from cane sugar to High Fructose Corn Syrup and Corn Syrup, a 'product window' was created where Kraft Heinz could sell a sugar-based product at a higher price point under the Simply Heinz name.  

CONAGRA’S HUNT'S AND DEL MONTE KETCHUPS FOLLOW THE LEADER: Often the #2 and #3 player in a category follow the lead of the #1 brand (The “If it’s good for them, it’s good for us” mentality). As such, ConAgra’s Hunt’s and Del Monte Ketchups also contain High Fructose Corn Syrup and are also banned at Whole Foods Market. (Sources: ConAgra Hunt's and Del Monte Web sites 10/24)

Ingredients are always listed in descending order of amount.

Del Monte Tomato Catsup was once made with “superlative” Pineapple Distilled Vinegar . . . not anymore. (Sources: Historical Del Monte Catsup ad and Del Monte Web site 10/24)

REVISIONIST HISTORY: Once upon a time, Hunt's attempted to de-throne Heinz by attacking Heinz's use of High Fructose Corn Syrup. This approach obviously failed since Hunt's Ketchup now contains High Fructose Corn Syrup, just like Heinz. Things that make you go hmmmmm . . .

CLOSEST TO HOMEMADE: The Closest To Homemade Ketchup brands you see on the charts below have no ingredients Not In Kitchen >> they have no Added Flavors or Colors, no Chemical Preservatives and no High Fructose Corn Syrup or Corn Syrup. (Sources for ingredients: Brand Web sites 10/24)

Just imagine a Ketchup that is better for you health-wise and actually tastes better, too! A win-win.

Discover more food + beverages whose ingredients are Closest To Homemade in 275+ categories. Neither money nor products are ever accepted to appear on the Closest To Homemade list.

Shown below, KETCHUP COMPARISON: #1 Heinz vs. True Made Foods Veggie Ketchup which is Closest To Homemade with no High Fructose Corn Syrup, no Added Sugar, no Added Flavors and is sweetened with Apples, Carrots + Butternut Squash. (Source: True Made Foods Web site 10/24)

Tomatoes contain the anti-oxidant Lycopene:

In the world of bottled Ketchups:

AVOID: Artificial sweeteners, corn sweeteners, GMO sugar, added flavors both artificial and natural, (table) salt, added oils, chemical preservatives, plastic containers (the naturally-occuring acid from the tomatoes can “eat” into the plastic).

SEEK: Organic tomatoes, organic cane sugar, veggie purées, Himalayan salt, organic vinegar, organic spices, unsweetened or fruit purées, glass containers.

Follow us at:

And we leave you with some old print ads for ketchup: