 Heinz hopes for higher sales |
Global food giant Heinz has continued its campaign to boost ketchup sales by targeting American children with a blue variant on the traditional red condiment. "It's not mom and dad's ketchup," said Heinz spokesman Robin Teets of the product, which is called EZ Squeeze Stellar Blue.
"If parents think it's a little strange, that's all the better for kids."
Heinz changes the colour of the ketchup by stripping the pigment from regular ketchup and adding food colouring.
While taste tests apparently showed the flavour is unchanged, the price is a little higher than the original red product.
Little squirts
Heinz launched its first coloured ketchup in October 2000 and claims to have sold more than 25 million bottles of the various colours in its EZ Squirt range.
Every new colour the company introduces boosts Heinz's market share, Mr Teets said.
The product will only be available in the United States.
Apart from the traditional red, Heinz has already sold green, purple, pink, orange and teal ketchup.
Ketchup king
Heinz - which calls itself the "the company that changed the colour of mealtime" - will produce a limited supply of 500,000 blue bottles retailing for $1.79.
It has stopped producing "Blastin' Green" and "Funky Purple".
Heinz last year produce one million bottles of Mystery Color ketchup, which contained either pink, orange or teal coloured ketchup.
Heinz controlled 60% of the US ketchup market in 2002, the company said.
One-Minute World News 
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