The fast food restaurant chain par excellence is McDonald’s, both for implementing as founders of this business model, but also for those small details that have given identity to the brand over the years and that persist to this day, one of them, for example, its ketchup, which is not as sweet as in other chains and even has a slight acidic taste, which gives it a particular taste to any other fast food hamburger
This is because for decades, the brand has had a particular supplier, which provides the product for its burgers throughout the country, known as fancy ketchup.
But this badge does not correspond to a brand but rather to a certification granted by the Department of Agriculture (USDA) that recognises ketchup brands that use high quality ingredients. To obtain this certificate, the product must be made with at least one third tomato solids, which give it colour, texture and flavour. Even with the evolution in the manufacture of ketchup, there are now four grades of standard tomato ketchup, with Grade A being the highest, precisely the one that corresponds to the Fancy variety.
The old partnership between McDonald’s and Heinz
The first McDonald’s restaurant was founded in 1955 and eventually partnered with ketchup giant Heinz, which supplied the product to McDonald’s until 1973, when the factory prioritised its production for retail consumption through its glass bottles rather than McDonald’s during a tomato shortage
McDonald’s hamburgers were still served with Heinz ketchup in cities such as Pittsburgh and Minneapolis until 2013, when Heinz was acquired by a new company with a new CEO, Bernado Hees.
As a result, the fast food chain decided to sever ties with the fast food chain: “As a result of the recent management changes at Heinz, we have decided to transition our business to other suppliers over time,” McDonald’s said a decade ago, after a former Burger King CEO was hired to run Heinz.
Initially, McDonald’s sought to obtain supplies from other suppliers, however, over time, the chain decided to use its own brand in all establishments and differentiate itself from the rest of this sauce in the market. For example, it is a little more liquid and sweeter than the Heinz variety, a difference that is noticeable to lovers of its hamburgers or ketchup.
That is why McDonald’s food is characterized by having a different taste from most other fast food restaurants, even though the menu is not very different from one chain to another: hamburgers, chicken and French fries
How is McDonald’s ketchup different from other brands like Heinz?
In terms of formulas, there are only three different ingredients between the two brands: McDonald’s contains tomato concentrate from ripe red tomatoes, distilled vinegar, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, water, salt and natural flavors. In the case of Heinz, it does not contain water, and instead adds onion powder and spices.