After its original introduction to the market more than 100 years ago, way back in 1876, the Heinz ketchup recipe has been a classic in kitchens everywhere, from the United States to just about every other country in the world - but one far off land in the Middle East doesn't think it's good enough for them.
Although there's no talk of banning the iconic product, for the government of Israel there are just not enough tomatoes in the Heinz ketchup recipe for it to really be considered tomato sauce, which has prompted many to wonder what exactly is it that people are consuming in the red bottle.
According to CBC, the Middle East country's health ministry has recently stated that the Heinz ketchup recipe doesn't have enough "tomato solids" to even qualify as ketchup, as it has traditionally be named, but should instead be called "tomato seasoning" on its packaging in Israel.
The Independent reports that this Heinz ketchup recipe controversy started from lobbying, when an Israeli food manufacturer called Osem, the leading ketchup producer in the country, sent letters to retailers all over Israel to tell them that the company had tested the iconic brand in laboratories, finding that in fat each bottle contained only 21 percent of tomato concentrate instead of the 61 percent advertised.
This campaign to remove the "tomato sauce" status from the bottle's packaging first started in January, and now the Israeli government has ultimately agreed with Osem, concluding the Heinz ketchup recipe doesn't contain enough tomatoes, according to The Telegraph.
"Obviously, Osem, which has a monopoly, would be happy if it were only possible to sell their product in Israel, but Osem's claims have no substance," said Diplomat, the company that distributes Heinz, in a recen satement following the government's agreement.
In light of these events, there are no plans to change the Heinz ketchup recipe: in fact, the Pittsburgh-based company's now focusing on a new campaign to have the definition of "ketchup" changed in Israel.
