Step 19: Heinz Ketchup Swaps Tomato for Pickle on Label

Since the 1890s, the label on a bottle of Heinz Ketchup has featured a picture of a gherkin pickle.

But, that tradition will end this year because Heinz has redesigned its ketchup bottle label to feature a tomato, instead of the pickle. The new tomato imagery is designed to emphasize the company’s commitment to tomato quality.

According to a press release, Heinz’s new label will also include the words “Grown not made,” a tagline that stresses the company’s dedication to tomatoes grown by a select group of farmers. Because Heinz has such strict control of its supply chain as their green steps, the company says it can track each tomato in its ketchup “from seed to vine to bottle.”

So, why was there a pickle on the ketchup label in the first place?

Turns out that H. J. Heinz used a “pickle pin” to attract customers to his ketchup booth at the Chicago World’s Fair back in 1893. The pin became so popular that Heinz decided to incorporate it into the ketchup label.

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