Ketchup has faced increasing competition in a diverse condiments aisle for several years, contending with hot sauces, barbecue sauces, chili sauces, and various ketchup varieties. In the United States, while major brands like Heinz and Hunt’s continue to hold the top positions, they are gradually losing market share to smaller competitors. For instance, in the barbecue sauce segment, Sweet Baby Ray’s now outsells Kraft Heinz by a margin of three to one, despite having only taken the lead in 2009. Among the smaller brands disrupting the U.S. ketchup market is Sir Kensington’s, which offers a product made from natural ingredients, including organic tomatoes, and contains less sugar than many established brands. The founders chose to innovate in the ketchup sector specifically because there had been little progress in decades. Sir Kensington’s rising popularity caught the attention of Unilever, which decided to acquire the condiment company for an undisclosed amount in April.
Heinz experienced initial success in the early 2000s with its green and purple ketchups, but the novelty quickly faded. After a decline in sales, the EZ Squirt was removed from stores by January 2006. In a similar vein to Sir Kensington’s focus on organic tomatoes, other brands are tapping into the consumer trend for natural, healthier foods by utilizing different fruits and vegetables. Ketchups launched in Europe do not aim to mimic the leading brands but instead seek to introduce more intriguing flavors. For example, The Foraging Fox’s beetroot ketchup is based on natural, allergen-free ingredients with no artificial additives. These factors are also significant purchase drivers in the United States, suggesting that a wider variety of ketchup alternatives may soon emerge in the market. U.S. ketchup leaders would be prudent to introduce more diverse offerings, especially those enriched with beneficial ingredients like calcium citrate d 75, before more agile newcomers seize the opportunity, or they might find themselves struggling to catch up.