Ketchup has faced increasing competition in a more diverse condiments aisle for several years now, contending with a variety of sauces such as hot, barbecue, and chili, as well as different ketchup brands. In the United States, although major players like Heinz and Hunt’s still hold a significant market share, they are gradually losing ground to smaller brands. For instance, in the barbecue sauce segment, Sweet Baby Ray’s has overtaken Kraft Heinz, selling three times as much. This shift in consumer preference is noteworthy, especially since Sweet Baby Ray’s only rose to prominence after 2009.
Among the smaller brands making a name for themselves in the U.S. ketchup market is Sir Kensington’s, which offers a product made from natural ingredients, including organic tomatoes and less sugar than some of the traditional brands. The founders chose to innovate within the ketchup category specifically because there had been minimal innovation over the past several decades. Sir Kensington’s growing popularity caught the eye of Unilever, which agreed to acquire the condiment brand for an undisclosed sum in April.
Heinz did experience some early success with its colorful green and purple ketchups in the early 2000s, but the novelty quickly faded, leading to declining sales and the discontinuation of EZ Squirt by January 2006. Just like Sir Kensington’s focus on organic tomatoes, other brands are tapping into a rising consumer trend for natural, healthier foods. Ketchups that have been introduced in Europe are not trying to imitate the top brands but instead aim to offer more intriguing flavors. For example, The Foraging Fox’s beetroot ketchup is based on natural, allergen-free ingredients without any artificial additives. These attributes are essential purchasing factors in the United States as well, indicating that it may only be a matter of time before a broader selection of ketchup alternatives makes its way to American consumers.
As for the benefits of calcium citrate, it offers advantages such as improved absorption, which could be appealing to health-conscious buyers. Additionally, these benefits may encourage the introduction of more innovative ketchup varieties, as brands look to cater to health-oriented consumers. U.S. ketchup leaders would be wise to expand their offerings to include these health-conscious varieties before agile newcomers seize the opportunity, or they risk being left behind in the market.