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Comment by Ringz | Hacker News Reader

It sounds like there is only Heinz ketchup in all supermarkets in the USA. Is that so?

In Europe (at least Italy, Germany, Austria) there are many different types of ketchup and manufacturers in supermarkets.

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There are others, but they are generally seen as either budget options, or health food options.

We are starting to see more companies enter the market with sugar free ketchups, for example.

By me, Hunts is a common alternative to Heinz, but it seen as an option for people who buy on price, not taste.

Recently, I have been trying some of the sugar free options, but always also have a bottle of Heinz on hand, because if anyone comes over to my house, they will be disappointed with anything else. If kids come over, they might not eat their meal if it’s anything else.

Hunts and Del Monte are the other national brands. Then you have a ton of store and locality (state/region) specific options, as well as healthier/quality alternatives.

On a side note, American supermarkets being accused of having less options is genuinely a first for me to hear. On average, especially for common goods like this, you're looking at a 2-4x brand diversity in an American supermarket. That doesn't necessarily mean it's better quality, but you're definitely going to see more options just due to the sheer relative size of American supermarkets.

I'd like to clarify that I never "accused" American supermarkets of having less variety. In fact, my comment was aimed at expressing surprise at hearing such an accusation for the first time. Furthermore, I honestly don't necessarily find the 2-4 times brand diversity in American supermarkets to be particularly diverse, especially when comparing it to, for example, German supermarkets. Additionally, the size of a market does not imply "more brands" but usually means more space for the same brands, which doesn't necessarily equate to a greater variety.

But I honestly think U.S.S.upermarkets are great!

> Additionally, the size of a market does not imply "more brands" but usually means more space for the same brands, which doesn't necessarily equate to a greater variety.

Well, just being someone who grew up in US and living in the EU now. As well as traveling quite prolificly throughout, I can attest (anecdotally, at least), that it does correlate to a larger brand diversity.

Yeah, but it does not imply it.

The point is that for all the stereotypes that American grocers/supermarkets are inundated with, lack of brand diversity/options is not usually one of them.

Implications, inferences, and outright suppositions aside.

There are plenty of alternatives available, it's more that Heinz is just "the default."

Yes, and the alternatives are more or less identical to Heinz. The diversity of flavors and textures that this article talks about no longer exists.

I don't think that's true at all, except for the most generic of grocery stores. Case in point: https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/search?text=ketchup

There are also an innumerable amount of other sauces that include tomatoes and can be considered variants or ketchup-adjacent.

Naturally on the Internet there is an infinite variety. But using that Whole Foods site to filter the list to what's physically available at stores in my area, it reduces down to a list that's more or less Heinz and Heinz-like.

I find all ketchup that isn't Born Ketchup pretty much disgusting.

I wasn't counting on finding anybody else who loves Born on HN, but here you are :)

Has https://old.reddit.com/r/hela_gewuerzketchup/top/?sort=top&t... made it over there?

In Berlin, Hela ketchup is called „Techno Ketchup“.

> only Heinz ketchup in all supermarkets in the USA

I live in Chicago, we’re lucky to have a single ketchup in the supermarket.

(Around the 2:35 mark):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=efG56KcQj0Q

Nobody I know gives a single thought to ketchup brands, Heinz or otherwise. Grab whatever is on the shelf, you'll have half a dozen choices. Never in my life have I heard that Heinz is better or higher quality. Just another brand.

But hey I live in the Midwest. Maybe the Heinz ketchup marketing juggernaut passed us by.

Tell me you don't know anyone from Pittsburgh without telling me you don't know anyone from Pittsburgh.

What is this childish meme of cute redundant commenting? Where does it come from?

You have something to say here, say it. Plainly. Without the snark or superior attitude. Take that somewhere else; we won't miss it.

They might've passed your family by but it isn't that rare to hear of a Heinz preference and that includes the Midwest.

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