Is Ketchup darker than it used to be?

[Stephen Tashiro]

Are the major brands of ketchup darker than they used to be? - say 40 years ago.

As I remember ketchup from my childhood, it was a brighter red than the ketchups of today. Of course, it was always packaged in glass containers instead of plastic, but I don't think this would make much difference in the color. And that was before the advertising campaign by Heinz convinced everyone that ketchup shoud be thick.

[mike holden]

Could be that the removal of red dye #2 has resulted in a darker red. The FDA pulled the approval on the dye years ago, my mother bought a couple quarts for making red velvet cake, a specialty of hers before it became unavailable.
Mike

[Dan Hintz]

Possibly the addition of more sugar?

[Bryan Morgan]

Possibly the addition of more sugar?

High fructose corn syrup... Its hard to find anything made with sugar these days. Ketchup made with real sugar tastes a million times better than this acidy junk we have all over the place these days.

[John Coloccia]

Simply Heinz. It's made with sugar, it's a little lighter and it tastes like it used to taste from our childhood.

[Tim Morton]

Simply Heinz. It's made with sugar, it's a little lighter and it tastes like it used to taste from our childhood.

you might want to read this...
http://shaneshirleysmith.blogspot.com/2010/05/heinz-says-no-to-high-fructose-corn.html

[Jim Koepke]

Because of the HFCS used in the mainline of Heinz ketchup I have switched to Hunts. I have tried to eliminate HFCS from my diet. My body feels better for doing so.

I am not a food scientist, so this is all anecdotal. Without changing any other components of my food intake other than eliminating HFCS, my weight seems to drop a few pounds.

The jellies I have found with sugar instead of the HFCS actually seems to taste better and I will go through a jar quicker. I have just about given up on yogurt. It seems there are only a few that are available without HFCS and those are "low carb" and taste a bit off. OK, no jokes about not being able to tell when yogurt has gone bad.

jtk

[Phil Thien]

Now I want Mexican Coca-Cola.

[Michael Weber]

Now I want Mexican Coca-Cola.

Or look for kosher coke Phil.

[Phil Thien]

Or look for kosher coke Phil.

I gotta ask you about that. I've looked at the kosher coke and it still lists HFCS on the ingredients. This flew in the face of what I'd heard (HFCS = not kosher).

What is the real answer on this? Did they not adjust the label properly? Can HFCS be used in kosher products?

[John Coloccia]

I gotta ask you about that. I've looked at the kosher coke and it still lists HFCS on the ingredients. This flew in the face of what I'd heard (HFCS = not kosher).

What is the real answer on this? Did they not adjust the label properly? Can HFCS be used in kosher products?

I'm not Jewish, but let me give this try. Kosher for Passover is different than Kosher. HFCS is not Kosher for Passover. This is because corn resembles other grains which are not Kosher for Passover, so in the middle ages someone decided that corn should be prohibited as well to prevent any potential confusion. So this is how we end up sugar in Coke for a couple of months a year, the Kosher Nostra is satisfied, and we can all go back to complaining about HFCS for rest of the year :)

Personally, I have no problem avoiding HFCS. I can't imagine that with all the food products and food stores out there that HFCS should pose much of a problem for anyone. I haven't really seen any studies that indicate that HFCS are particularly bad for you, but I see a lot of people who claim that it is. If you say it enough, everyone starts to believe it. Regardless, I don't like the taste so I go for products with sugar when I eat a sugary product (which isn't too often).

Don't blame the manufacturers. The US has made sugar artificially more expensive than HFCS through a sugar import tariff and domestic corn subsidies, import quotas, etc. It is one of the looniest, most bizarre and inscrutable policies in the US. Coke and Pepsi dumped sugar from their products because we made it prohibitively expensive.

But all that said, I have no problem finding products without HFCS. I also tend to shop at the smaller neighborhood markets rather than huge supermarkets. It costs just a little more, but quality always costs more. Cheapest of all is to just make your own foods. I've made ketchup and it's pretty good! I've started fooling around with making mustard. I'm turning into a regular mountain man, which fits well with my generally anti-social outlook :D

[Michael Weber]

I gotta ask you about that. I've looked at the kosher coke and it still lists HFCS on the ingredients. This flew in the face of what I'd heard (HFCS = not kosher).

What is the real answer on this? Did they not adjust the label properly? Can HFCS be used in kosher products?

Sorry Phil, just passing along what I had read. It seems John C has good information.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Simply Heinz. It's made with sugar, it's a little lighter and it tastes like it used to taste from our childhood.

John - you brought up this some time ago. I had the family chef change to the Simply Heinz. Definitely tastes better.

[Scott Shepherd]

John - you brought up this some time ago. I had the family chef change to the Simply Heinz. Definitely tastes better.

Did you read Tim's post? If you're using anything other than the 32 oz. bottle of that, then it's still using HFCS. They only make it with sugar in one size of their product. Odd to say the least. Hunts apparently does not use HFCS in any of their sizes.

[Phil Thien]

Personally, I have no problem avoiding HFCS. I can't imagine that with all the food products and food stores out there that HFCS should pose much of a problem for anyone. I haven't really seen any studies that indicate that HFCS are particularly bad for you, but I see a lot of people who claim that it is. If you say it enough, everyone starts to believe it. Regardless, I don't like the taste so I go for products with sugar when I eat a sugary product (which isn't too often).


Thank you for the explanation. The bottles I was looking at were during PO. They could be just regular bottles. I'm going to contact the local bottler and ask them directly.

HFCS doesn't concern me any more than you. But like you, I prefer the cane sugar over HFCS, although the difference is quite subtle for me.

[John Coloccia]

Did you read Tim's post? If you're using anything other than the 32 oz. bottle of that, then it's still using HFCS. They only make it with sugar in one size of their product. Odd to say the least. Hunts apparently does not use HFCS in any of their sizes.

The "Simply Heinz" product has no HFCS. Their Organic product has no HFCS. Their other products do. You don't have to go by the size, and there's no scam involved despite what the article was trying to insinuate. You simply have a choice as to what to buy with the Heinz product.

I think I should have made more clear that "Simply Heinz" is the name of the product...it actually says those words on the label. I think the confusion is that maybe people thought I was saying, "Well, you just simply have to buy Heinz". LOL. No no no. :)

I don't really like the flavor of Hunts, although when I was younger I think I preferred it. I certainly prefer it over the regular corn syrup Heinz (HFCS has a bitter/metallic after taste to me). I like the sugar Heinz most of all though.

Kind of ridiculous to know this much about ketchup, isn't it?

[Harry Hagan]

Are the major brands of ketchup darker than they used to be? - say 40 years ago.

As I remember ketchup from my childhood, it was a brighter red than the ketchups of today.

I’ve noticed that too—along with a lot of other things. I recently had to upgrade my welding helmet to one with an auto darkening lens because it was a little too dark inside my old helmet. It’s called “getting old”.

[David Peterson MN]

My favorite "ketchup" is Jufran Banana Sauce. It is like ketchup only so much tastier!!! It is made in the Philippines and can be found in any Asian food store.
189049

[Jay Maiers]

...I've made ketchup and it's pretty good! I've started fooling around with making mustard. I'm turning into a regular mountain man, which fits well with my generally anti-social outlook :D


If (when?) the lights go out, you'll be the man. Hand powered woodworking experience, entertainment (assuming you don't just make those guitars ;)), and ketchup!


(FWIW, I'm not poking fun at you no matter how that post sounds. My wife and I bought a pressure canner last year; ketchup is definately on our "learn how to make and preserve" list.)

[Brian Tymchak]

Now I want Mexican Coca-Cola.

Ok, I gotta ask. I see Mexican Coca-Cola in my grocery store. What's the difference from it and "American" Coke?

[John Coloccia]

Ok, I gotta ask. I see Mexican Coca-Cola in my grocery store. What's the difference from it and "American" Coke?

In the rest of the world, people use sugar. HFCS is predominantly a US phenomenon due to our artificial bolstering of sugar prices. It's difficult, or was difficult, to grow sugar in our climate, so to prevent a collapse of the sugar plantations (and subsequent collapse of everything surrounding them, including the slave trade) the plantation owners enlisted the aid of the US government to artificially inflate import sugar costs so that domestic sugar could compete. They continued helping on into the 1970's. Then they started handing out huge corn subsidies. In the 80's, this finally led Coke and Pepsi to say enough's enough, and they switched to HFCS. Everyhthing else soon followed, though I seem to recall ketchup starting the transition in the late 60's or early 70's.

There's been no such forces in other parts of the world, so there's really no compelling reason to use HFCS instead of sugar. That's not to say it's not used, but there isn't intense economic pressure to use it everywhere they possibly can, hence Mexican Coke is made with sugar at the moment.

This is a terrible over simplification and it's memory so I hope I have the details right, but that should broadly put it in perspective, though.

[Ron Conlon]

I've been buying something called "Pepsi Throwback" which is made with real sugar. The can looks like the old can from my youth. I'm not sure if it is a temporary release or a test product, but I am stocking up, baby!

As to the sugar being "prohibitively expensive" I'd like to see what that translates to in the marketplace. I'm willing to pay 10 cents more per can for real sugar! Usually "prohibitively expensive" is 5 cents extra per ton, as far as shareholders are concerned.:mad:

[Tim Morton]

for sure...i was in the phillipines many years ago...very tasty stuff!!

[Russ Filtz]

Check out the new Sierra Mist Naturals. It also uses pure sugar. Every now and then you can also catch Mountain Dew Throwback and Heritage Dr. Pepper. The DP tastes pretty much the same, but the MD and Pepsi Throwback definitely tastes old school. Way less fizzy and as sickeningly sweet like the new stuff.

[mike holden]

Phil,
Check your local supermarket in the exotic food section. Ours has mexican sodas of all types. Pricy though.
Mike

[Phil Thien]

Check out the new Sierra Mist Naturals. It also uses pure sugar. Every now and then you can also catch Mountain Dew Throwback and Heritage Dr. Pepper. The DP tastes pretty much the same, but the MD and Pepsi Throwback definitely tastes old school. Way less fizzy and as sickeningly sweet like the new stuff.

You have to get Doctor Pepper in the south. Northerners don't know how to make it.

That there is a fact.

[Jim Rimmer]

You have to get Doctor Pepper in the south. Northerners don't know how to make it.

That there is a fact.

You can get DP made with sugar in glass bottles at the original plant in Waco, TX

[Bryan Morgan]

Ok, I gotta ask. I see Mexican Coca-Cola in my grocery store. What's the difference from it and "American" Coke?

It tastes about 100 times better. :) Their Pepsi and Mtn Dew as well!

[Dan Hintz]

Check your local supermarket in the exotic food section. Ours has mexican sodas of all types. Pricy though.
When I lived in Indiana, the mexican food section had a tiny bottle (8 oz.?) of some white soda that tasted/smelled a lot like cherry. I would clean the shelf of them every time I went in. No idea who made them, no idea what it was called, but it rocked, and I would love it if someone could find the information. Maybe it's a typical drink in Mexico?

[jeremy levine]

On the true nature of the thread. I noticed the ketchup is darker, I will check the label. Is suspect dye changes. As for kosher For Passover Coke. The previous explanation ( re corn is correct ) but I have seen less and less of it.

[Phil Thien]

When I lived in Indiana, the mexican food section had a tiny bottle (8 oz.?) of some white soda that tasted/smelled a lot like cherry. I would clean the shelf of them every time I went in. No idea who made them, no idea what it was called, but it rocked, and I would love it if someone could find the information. Maybe it's a typical drink in Mexico?

Three Olives Cherry Vodka?

[Kevin W Johnson]

I thought ketchup was green? :eek:

[Dan Hintz]

Three Olives Cherry Vodka?
Never seen that brand before... but I really want to find this drink.

[Brian Tymchak]

Thanks John. I didn't pick up on Phil alluding to Coke using HFCS vs sugar.

[Brian Elfert]

As to the sugar being "prohibitively expensive" I'd like to see what that translates to in the marketplace. I'm willing to pay 10 cents more per can for real sugar! Usually "prohibitively expensive" is 5 cents extra per ton, as far as shareholders are concerned.:mad:

I suspect the majority of consumers would not pay 10 cents more per can given the choice especially in today's world of stagnant wages and risiong food prices. Pop is already expensive enough as it is.

I only drink diet soda so the whole sugar vs HCFS in pop doesn't really affect me. I am cutting back and hopefully eliminating pop as a regular part of my diet.

[Ron Conlon]

I suspect the majority of consumers would not pay 10 cents more per can given the choice especially in today's world of stagnant wages and risiong food prices. Pop is already expensive enough as it is.


As long as they provide the option, I am willing to buy it. I suspect others are as well, even if it is a small niche. If there is a market for every variation of diet/caffeine free pepsi/coke, can't I have my rich-guy boutique pepsi? :)

[Angela micinski]

Pepsi could come in a solid gold can and I still wouldn't buy it. I don't know if there is anything that can be done to make it drinkable.