(Newser)
– In the grand scheme of a pandemic, it’s not that bad. However Wall Street Journal reports an unexpected hiccup related to COVID – a lack of ketchup. The problem is more pronounced for restaurants that strive to find supplies, especially ketchup packages, which are considered safer than ordinary bottles. “Everyone out there has ketchup,” says Long John Silver’s chief marketing officer diary. The chain estimates that it spent an additional $ 500,000 on late ketchup because those disposable packages are more expensive than buying in bulk. Heinz, Heinz, which controls about 70 percent of the U.S. ketchup market, is “busy doing everything we can,” says executive Steve Cornell. This includes additional exchanges at production plants.
The story notes that retail sales of ketchup increased by 15% in 2020, probably because more people were cooking at home. A post on Mashed wonders why Heinz still seems to be in combat mode when reports appeared Monday, including on CNN, that sales have risen. In fact, Heinz could pay a price: the Texas Roadhouse chain served Heinz exclusively before the pandemic, but was forced to supplement with brands easier to find from wholesalers such as Costco. “You can’t be loyal forever,” says a company spokesman. A cook in diary the story sees a potential silver line to all this: the lack could cause people to give up ketchup. “We like people to experience burgers in their natural state,” says Mike DeCamp, who owns five restaurants in Minneapolis. (Read more ketchup stories.)