In Search of a Ketchup Without High Fructose Corn Syrup

The other day I discovered that a bottle of Heinz Ketchup I recently purchased contains "high fructose corn syrup" as an ingredient.

That sobering discovery has prompted me to wonder if there is any reasonably priced ketchup available in the supermarket today that contains no high fructose corn syrup.

I have read in recent years that it is advisable to minimize consumption of high fructose corn syrup, and this reminds me that I also need to find out more about the medical basis for that advice.

One update on this: This Saturday, August 1, 2009, I was pleasantly surprised to note inside an H.E.B. supermarket in northwest Austin that the San Antonio-based H.E.B. supermarkets are now offering an H.E.B. brand of ketchup that contains no high fructose corn syrup. That is very good news for ketchup lovers such as myself.

At least one health-minded nationwide restaurant chain, the Beaumont, Texas-based Jason's Deli, has posted announcements on its dining tables that announce to all customers that Jason's Deli is nearing its goal of eliminating high fructose corn syrup from all Jason's Deli menu offerings and beverages.

Heinz Ketchup has long been a personal favorite of mine partly because my beloved mother several decades ago (and I forgot to ask Mother if that was in the 1950s or 1940s) won either first or second place in a nationwide "Why I Love Heinz Ketchup" essay contest.

Mother was awarded a free can opener from the Heinz corporation based on her essay, she modestly told me one day inside her kitchen. Mother added that this was the only contest she had ever won in her entire life. Looking back, I wish that Mother had received more recognition for her writing talents; but of course I am grateful to Heinz Ketchup Company of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for having honored Mother for her skill at writing.