Company executives are hoping its unexpected color and plastic bottle, which squirts a stream so thin kids can draw with it, will pack in the fans. Kids do, after all, eat more than half of all ketchup in the United States, he said. Heinz market share rose to 51 percent, and a month ago the company announced a 5 percent increase in profits for the fourth quarter, due in part to increased ketchup sales. The new color in its thin-stream bottle is just the latest push. Several Colors Considered Heinz's research with young focus groups found kids would like to see ketchup in some color other than red, so researchers cooked up several varieties.
Tomatoes do come in both red and green.
Of course, getting deep green also takes a little food dye. To facilitate ketchup art for kids, the hourglass squeeze bottle was the answer. It gives kids an easy grip with both hands and the cap that releases the thin stream, like icing for cakes, said Heinz spokeswoman Deb Magness. The company also added Vitamin C to encourage parents to buy it. John McMillin, a food analyst with Prudential Securities in New York, said the product illustrates the company's effort to be innovative, particularly with an established product.