Famous condiment brand Heinz can no longer call itself ketchup because it does not have enough tomato solids in it’s sauce.
Israel's health department this week passed down the judgment after a concentrated lobbying campaign by the brands red sauce competitor in the region.
The ruling is, that in order to be sold in Israel it must have at least 41% tomato to be deemed a sauce (even though less than 41% solids is acceptable for sauces in other areas of the world).
More...
The competing brand took great relish in highlighting the fact that the Heinz Ketchup label was not only breaking the rules, it was misleading consumers.
The Ketchup label indicated it contains 61% tomato concentrate, however tests confirmed it only contained 21% tomato solids.
Iconic Heinz ketchup, first created in 1876 as a fish sauce, will now have to rebrand itself as a tomato seasoning.
Audacious product labelling is not a new to food brands.
The words ‘natural’, ‘farm fresh’ and ‘healthy’ can be used in many markets without definition and Coles supermarket brand had a dressing down in Australia just last year, for using the words ‘‘Baked Today’ for bread that was actually made on the other side of the world.
Has Heinz finally lost its bottle?
Even the heart foundation tick has taken a dip in consumer confidence for appearing on sugary cereals, muesli bars and biscuits.
It is however, a very sad state of affairs for Heinz.
A brand that was built on transparency, being one of the first ketchups to be sold in a clear glass bottle, based on founder Henry J Heinz desire to produce quality product with nothing to hide.
Famous brands it seems, have lost their bottle.
What were the Heinz thinking? What would the original owners of Heinz be thinking? What are you thinking about this iconic brand?
We'd love to hear what you think about the Authentic Personal Branding of businesses and people in general.
Make your comment below.