The cost of Heinz tomato ketchup in UK supermarkets has shot up 53% since 2020, making it the biggest riser in of a list of leading branded groceries.
Two other Heinz products also made the top 10 in the index of average price rises compiled by the consumer group Which? – the brand’s cream of chicken and tomato soups.
The research comes four months after the company’s products temporarily disappeared from the shelves of Tesco, the UK’s biggest supermarket chain, in a row over price increases. Heinz was thought to have been seeking cost price rises of as much as 30% in the summer.
Which? found that its list of 79 popular branded products exceeded the overall rate of grocery price inflation, with none rising less than 22%.
The findings give a further suggestion of why British shoppers have been switching to budget ranges and discount chains, as annual supermarket inflation reached a record high of nearly 15% last month, driving up the average annual bill by £682 a year.
Analysts at Kantar say overall grocery price inflation stood at 17.2% in relation to October 2020 – the closest available comparison with the Which? survey.
The price of Heinz ketchup rose by an average of 90p but was up 70% at one particular supermarket over the two-year period – an increase of £1.06.
A spokesperson for Kraft Heinz, the parent group of the ketchup brand, said: “Like the rest of the food industry, we are continuing to face inflationary pressures on ingredients, labour and transportation.
“As a result, the prices of our products continue to reflect the costs of production. We value our consumers and are aware of the daily role Heinz products play in households across the UK.
“We remain committed to helping them offset some of the pressures consumers are facing without compromising on quality. This is through larger pack sizes, a wider range of entry-price points as well as finding efficiencies in our operations, like removing unnecessary ingredients, and investing further in technology.”
The second-biggest average percentage increase among the branded products included in the Which? list was for Dolmio lasagne sauce (470g), which rose 47%, or 61p, across the six supermarkets in the two years.
It was followed by the Heinz 400g of classic cream of chicken soup, which went up 46%, and Dolmio bolognese original pasta sauce, increasing by 46%.
Butter saw some of the biggest rises. A 500g tub of Anchor spreadable butter went up by £1.31 (45%) on average, while the same-sized tub of Lurpak spreadable slightly salted was up by £1.17 (35%).
Sue Davies, head of food policy at Which?, said: “Our research shows the shocking rate of inflation on some of the nation’s favourite branded foods, which is much higher than the national average and highlights why it is so important for retailers to provide people with a choice of product ranges.
“Supermarkets must ensure budget lines for healthy and affordable essential items are widely available across their stores including smaller convenience stores. Promotions should be targeted at those most in need and people supported so they can easily compare the price of products to get the best value.”
Mars, the owner of Dolmio, has been contacted for comment.
**The top 10 risers**
1. Heinz tomato ketchup sauce – top down 460g 53%
2. Dolmio lasagne sauce 470g 47%
3. Heinz classic cream of chicken soup 400g 46%
4. Dolmio bolognese original pasta sauce 500g 46%
5. Anchor spreadable butter tub 500g 45%
6. Heinz cream of tomato soup 400g 44%
7. Colman’s classic mint sauce 165g 44%
8. Colman’s horseradish sauce 136g 44%
9. Batchelors super noodles BBQ beef flavour 90g 43%
10. Hovis granary wholemeal 800g 43%
** Based on Which? analysis of 79 branded products available across Asda, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose (21 September to 20 October in 2020 and 2022)*
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I am surprised that’s the max. For example
– Fox Viennese biscuits, from 70p in 2019 to £2 now
– Doritos: £1 in 2020, £2 now
I’m surprised Lurpak didn’t make the list, it’s been climbing in price for months. It’s priced me out of the premium Danish style butter market. I’ve had to resort to Butterpak, Tesco’s creatively named alternative.
Have you got any idea how cheap it is to make your own tomato sauce? Fair enough, you have initial layout of spices if you don’t have them already but after that it’s 2 x 400-500g passata for £1. Pretty much leave it on the hob until its reduced
Cereal has shot up too, even own-brand cereal has gone up by at least 50% in Sainsbury’s. Poor wheat harvests and the war in Ukraine are seriously impacting the price of some staples.
Hah i noticed this last night. It was almost a fiver for one of those large Heinz tomato ketchups at the corner store. Jfc.
Unpopular opinion: this is not just inflation, it’s also the impact of Brexit. If any part of your supply chain is in the EU, it’s now more expensive to manufacture / ship to the UK.
I doubt food manufacturers were passing the full impact of Brexit onto consumers since negotiations with supermarkets tend to be difficult. So now is a good opportunity to push it through if you’re raising prices anyway. Difficult to tell what the real split is.
They have no sugar added ketchup which is a decent alternative for diabetics. The natural sugar in it is about 1/6 the sugar in a normal amount of their ketchup. It’s at least still somewhat reasonable, but maybe not for everyone who needs it.
I’ve been buying Polish ketchup instead as imo it’s tastier and doesn’t have that weird pre-cum watery bit that I find Heinz etc has
Price is good too, find it in yer world food isle
Isn’t there a limit to price increases though where it basically reduces profit?
A lot of these unnecessary “luxuries” people will just stop buying if they go up too high surely?
How much of this is legitimate rising of costs and how much is just the greed of supermarkets upping the prices as much as they can
I’m just glad I enjoy supermarkets own brand better than Heinz (too watery). Same with Mayo, Beans etc.
Which is just as well as the price difference is crazy! £65p for Supermarket or £3 for Heinz. That’s nearly 5 times the price.
Coffeemate (Nestle) 1kg Tub comes with an extra £1 and their *new recyclable containers* contain 150g less (tub now 850g weight).
Higher price, less contents…its just the same from product to product across non branded foodstuffs too.
14 comments
By Sarah Butler – [https://archive.ph/22Ksr](https://archive.ph/22Ksr)
The cost of Heinz tomato ketchup in UK supermarkets has shot up 53% since 2020, making it the biggest riser in of a list of leading branded groceries.
Two other Heinz products also made the top 10 in the index of average price rises compiled by the consumer group Which? – the brand’s cream of chicken and tomato soups.
The research comes four months after the company’s products temporarily disappeared from the shelves of Tesco, the UK’s biggest supermarket chain, in a row over price increases. Heinz was thought to have been seeking cost price rises of as much as 30% in the summer.
Which? found that its list of 79 popular branded products exceeded the overall rate of grocery price inflation, with none rising less than 22%.
The findings give a further suggestion of why British shoppers have been switching to budget ranges and discount chains, as annual supermarket inflation reached a record high of nearly 15% last month, driving up the average annual bill by £682 a year.
Analysts at Kantar say overall grocery price inflation stood at 17.2% in relation to October 2020 – the closest available comparison with the Which? survey.
The price of Heinz ketchup rose by an average of 90p but was up 70% at one particular supermarket over the two-year period – an increase of £1.06.
A spokesperson for Kraft Heinz, the parent group of the ketchup brand, said: “Like the rest of the food industry, we are continuing to face inflationary pressures on ingredients, labour and transportation.
“As a result, the prices of our products continue to reflect the costs of production. We value our consumers and are aware of the daily role Heinz products play in households across the UK.
“We remain committed to helping them offset some of the pressures consumers are facing without compromising on quality. This is through larger pack sizes, a wider range of entry-price points as well as finding efficiencies in our operations, like removing unnecessary ingredients, and investing further in technology.”
The second-biggest average percentage increase among the branded products included in the Which? list was for Dolmio lasagne sauce (470g), which rose 47%, or 61p, across the six supermarkets in the two years.
It was followed by the Heinz 400g of classic cream of chicken soup, which went up 46%, and Dolmio bolognese original pasta sauce, increasing by 46%.
Butter saw some of the biggest rises. A 500g tub of Anchor spreadable butter went up by £1.31 (45%) on average, while the same-sized tub of Lurpak spreadable slightly salted was up by £1.17 (35%).
Sue Davies, head of food policy at Which?, said: “Our research shows the shocking rate of inflation on some of the nation’s favourite branded foods, which is much higher than the national average and highlights why it is so important for retailers to provide people with a choice of product ranges.
“Supermarkets must ensure budget lines for healthy and affordable essential items are widely available across their stores including smaller convenience stores. Promotions should be targeted at those most in need and people supported so they can easily compare the price of products to get the best value.”
Mars, the owner of Dolmio, has been contacted for comment.
**The top 10 risers**
1. Heinz tomato ketchup sauce – top down 460g 53%
2. Dolmio lasagne sauce 470g 47%
3. Heinz classic cream of chicken soup 400g 46%
4. Dolmio bolognese original pasta sauce 500g 46%
5. Anchor spreadable butter tub 500g 45%
6. Heinz cream of tomato soup 400g 44%
7. Colman’s classic mint sauce 165g 44%
8. Colman’s horseradish sauce 136g 44%
9. Batchelors super noodles BBQ beef flavour 90g 43%
10. Hovis granary wholemeal 800g 43%
** Based on Which? analysis of 79 branded products available across Asda, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose (21 September to 20 October in 2020 and 2022)*
[removed]
I am surprised that’s the max. For example
– Fox Viennese biscuits, from 70p in 2019 to £2 now
– Doritos: £1 in 2020, £2 now
I’m surprised Lurpak didn’t make the list, it’s been climbing in price for months. It’s priced me out of the premium Danish style butter market. I’ve had to resort to Butterpak, Tesco’s creatively named alternative.
Have you got any idea how cheap it is to make your own tomato sauce? Fair enough, you have initial layout of spices if you don’t have them already but after that it’s 2 x 400-500g passata for £1. Pretty much leave it on the hob until its reduced
Cereal has shot up too, even own-brand cereal has gone up by at least 50% in Sainsbury’s. Poor wheat harvests and the war in Ukraine are seriously impacting the price of some staples.
Hah i noticed this last night. It was almost a fiver for one of those large Heinz tomato ketchups at the corner store. Jfc.
Unpopular opinion: this is not just inflation, it’s also the impact of Brexit. If any part of your supply chain is in the EU, it’s now more expensive to manufacture / ship to the UK.
I doubt food manufacturers were passing the full impact of Brexit onto consumers since negotiations with supermarkets tend to be difficult. So now is a good opportunity to push it through if you’re raising prices anyway. Difficult to tell what the real split is.
They have no sugar added ketchup which is a decent alternative for diabetics. The natural sugar in it is about 1/6 the sugar in a normal amount of their ketchup. It’s at least still somewhat reasonable, but maybe not for everyone who needs it.
I’ve been buying Polish ketchup instead as imo it’s tastier and doesn’t have that weird pre-cum watery bit that I find Heinz etc has
Price is good too, find it in yer world food isle
Isn’t there a limit to price increases though where it basically reduces profit?
A lot of these unnecessary “luxuries” people will just stop buying if they go up too high surely?
How much of this is legitimate rising of costs and how much is just the greed of supermarkets upping the prices as much as they can
I’m just glad I enjoy supermarkets own brand better than Heinz (too watery). Same with Mayo, Beans etc.
Which is just as well as the price difference is crazy! £65p for Supermarket or £3 for Heinz. That’s nearly 5 times the price.
Coffeemate (Nestle) 1kg Tub comes with an extra £1 and their *new recyclable containers* contain 150g less (tub now 850g weight).
Higher price, less contents…its just the same from product to product across non branded foodstuffs too.