In 2001, Heinz Green Sauce gave familiar tomato ketchup a startlingly bright green makeover.
The limited-edition 342g squeeze bottle declared that it was made with Heinz Tomato Ketchup. Reports said blue and yellow food colourings changed its appearance, while Heinz intended the taste to remain the same.
Its colour drew launch attention, and a published UK marketing case study attributed a peak 5% value share to it. Heinz introduced its Eazy Squirt children’s brand in Britain in 2002, but the relationship between that range and Green Sauce remains unclear.
History
The limited-edition 342g squeeze bottle declared that it was made with Heinz Tomato Ketchup. Reports said blue and yellow food colourings changed its appearance, while Heinz intended the taste to remain the same.
History
Its colour drew launch attention, and a published UK marketing case study attributed a peak 5% value share to it. Heinz introduced its Eazy Squirt children’s brand in Britain in 2002, but the relationship between that range and Green Sauce remains unclear.
Significance
Green Sauce challenged something shoppers rarely thought about: ketchup was supposed to be red. Heinz made the colour the talking point—a small change that turned an everyday condiment into a novelty.
The British Launch Timeline
- Reports in July 2000 said Heinz was monitoring American sales but had not committed to a British release.
- Green Sauce reached British shops in 2001, although reports conflict on whether it was already arriving by 22 June or launched in July.
- The conflicting reports support 2001 as the launch year but not an exact month or day.
Colour, Recipe and Bottle
- Reports said blue and yellow food colourings were added to Heinz’s regular red tomato-sauce recipe.
- Heinz intended the green product to taste the same as the red version.
- The documented British pack was a green plastic squeeze bottle with a green cap, a 342g marking and a limited-edition label.
Green Sauce and Eazy Squirt
- A published UK timeline lists Green Sauce in 2001 and the Eazy Squirt children’s brand in 2002 as separate launches.
- Heinz’s 2002 annual report grouped British green and orange sauces under Eazy Squirt, leaving the exact relationship unresolved.
- A UK marketing case study attributed a peak 5% value share to Green Sauce.
- No reliable record provides a confirmed British withdrawal or final production date.
Key facts
**Associated With:** H. J. Heinz Company - manufacturer; Heinz UK - British launch and marketing
**Defining Feature:** Bright green tomato ketchup in a 342g limited-edition squeeze bottle
**Status:** Discontinued — sold as a limited edition; exact withdrawal date unknown.
Associated With
H. J. Heinz Company - manufacturer; Heinz UK - British launch and marketing
Defining Feature
Bright green tomato ketchup in a 342g limited-edition squeeze bottle
Status
Discontinued — sold as a limited edition; exact withdrawal date unknown.
Images are included for historical and archival reference.
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