19 Sep 2014 UK: Heinz launches stevia-sweetened ketchup

In a move to woo the health-conscious, Heinz UK has launched a stevia-sweetened variant of its flagship ketchup. It has half the sugar content of the conventional sauce.

The launch is not Heinz’s first reduced-sugar tomato ketchup in the UK. The US-based group rolled out a reduced sugar and salt version of the sauce in 2006, which contained 30% less sugar and 25% less salt than the original.

The new Heinz Tomato Ketchup 50% Less Sugars line replaces this low-sugar line but what makes the new product notable is that it contains stevia, the natural, zero-calorie intense sweetener.
The move has divided analysts. Some have applauded the company in its efforts to tackle the high-sugar diets of UK consumers. Others have questioned whether it is really going to make a difference to the growing sugar-linked health problems among the population.
“Clearly sugar is top of mind for many consumers. There’s been lots of negative press connotations about sugar consumption and its link to obesity and weight related issues like diabetes. More and more consumers are becoming aware that sugar consumption – even more than fat – is a prime health concern,” David Turner, global food and drink analyst at Mintel says.
Jenny Arthur, strategic insights analyst at Leatherhead, says the ‘Responsibility Deal’ between industry and the UK government has prompted reformulation.
“Companies are signing up to reducing fats, salts, sugar, calories and portion size. Companies are looking at alternative ingredients to better nutritional profiles,” she says.
Both analysts argue Heinz should be applauded for the move, given that, at present, few food firms are looking replacing at least some of the sugar in their products with alternatives.

The most common use for stevia has been in soft drinks, with almost 90% of its use in the UK last year in beverages. Reformulating food to include stevia is a far more complicated process – as well as a bitter after-taste, stevia does not have the same functional properties as sugar, such as acting as a bulking agent and contributing to shelf-life.
“If you take sugar out, you have to replace with about four or five different products in which case, it goes against the grain for consumers interested in clean label and less ingredients,” Turner says.
Diana Cowland, senior analyst at Mintel, agrees. She says it is easier to use stevia in beverage products since liquids “don’t have the same hurdles in reformulation”.

Therefore, of all foods containing sugar, the semi-liquid ketchup could be deemed as one of the more straight-forward moves for a manufacturer. Moreover, the strong flavours within ketchup could act as a good mask for any bitter after-taste picked up from stevia. Is this why, then, Heinz made its move in ketchup rather than, say, Baked Beans?
“Would you alter one of your biggest sellers? Probably not,” asserts Arthur. Heinz ketchup sales in the UK last year stood at £125m; its baked beans range brought in about £280m. “If you sell more beans and that’s your biggest line, you probably don’t want to try something like stevia on it,” Arthur says.
A second canny move from Heinz is that the stevia line replaces the existing reduced sugar and salt ketchup rather than the original. The reduced sugar and salt ketchup makes up 2% of Heinz’s total sauces, dressings and condiments sales, according to Euromonitor.

Source: www.just-food.com; The Telegraph