Washington (GGM) Analysis | April 17, 2022 by Noreen Wise | Reprint from December 24, 2019

Exciting update on the “Ketchup in a glass bottle sold locally” saga, a tale that has reached a positive outcome in just five weeks. Five weeks is a very short period of time to go from 0 to 60. This proves that social media is a very powerful solutions driver.

• In mid November while grocery shopping, (after making a commitment not to buy anymore products packaged in plastic, even if that meant paying more), I was shocked to discover that there literally weren’t any ketchup brands sold in glass. It was the ONLY condiment that didn’t have a single glass-packaged option. Barbecue sauce had the largest selection of brands sold in glass, row upon row upon row. BBQ sauce and ketchup are very similar, so I was perplexed. How could one of the two similar condiments have the most glass-packaged options, and the other have the least, actually none? This made no sense (although now I realize it’s because Heinz cornered the ketchup market and refuses to revert back to glass).
• I ended up purchasing “Apple Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce” as my Ketchup alternative
• I snapped a photo and posted on Facebook about my shocking surprise that ketchup isn’t sold in glass in the US.
• Someone commented that I could purchase Heinz in glass bottles through Amazon, although the glass bottles were super tiny, but the price was reasonable so I went for it. I imagined that I could give some away to various friends and family to promote the circular economy and the importance of glass packaging.

• And the best part was that I could reuse the bottles in other ways once finished. Tiny storage containers for small things like buttons and dried seeds from fresh produce, etc, and much more.
• The small 2.25 oz ended up not being practical. So, my next big decision was to be adventurous and order Heinz Ketchup in the 14 oz glass bottles sold as a pack of 24 for $76.60 though Amazon. I realize this seems crazy, but buying in bulk is something we should be used to doing thanks to Costco.
• Meanwhile, I posted each of these steps on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

• I was supposed to receive the 14 oz bottles on Thursday of last week, but was dismayed to instead receive an email stating the delivery was cancelled. The glass bottles had been shipped, but the delivery ran into some type of snafu and the package was being returned to sender and I’d be given a credit. No explanation provided. Yes, I can’t help but wonder if the bottles broke and everything was a mess. I guess I’ll never know.
• Disappointed, I resumed my quest in local grocery stores this past weekend for ketchup in glass bottles. I nearly jumped for joy when I found Unsweetened Organic Ketchup in Whole Foods. I bought it, tested it and determined that I could indeed grow a taste for unsweetened Ketchup. It was wonderfully fresh and healthy, and very tomatoey. Yum!

• But later Sunday night, I had to dash to Safeway, and wasn’t I shocked to see a “NEW” Ketchup brand along the top row of the ketchup shelves. The Red Duck label made my mouth water. It looked delicious, and indeed it is very yummy! YAY, a solution!

Climate Action works. Sharing ideas through social media catches the attention of many and nets positive results. I must admit that it’s disappointing Heinz hasn’t begun testing glass packaging for their Ketchup. The majority of the major soda producers certainly have. After 50 years of sustained success at having more than 60% of the ketchup market share, has Heinz grown complacent? We’ll soon find out. In the meantime, GOOD LUCK, Red Duck! Thanks for responding to consumer demand. ~

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