Heinz

While Heinz was founded in Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania in 1869, it is no longer an independent American company. In 2015, the Kraft Foods Group merged with the H.J. Heinz Company to create Kraft Heinz, which is co-headquartered in Chicago and Pittsburgh. The brand remains a global leader in food manufacturing.

Heinz ketchup is famously thick and exhibits a non-Newtonian fluid property, meaning it resists flowing until a certain amount of force is applied. It was traditionally packaged in glass bottles requiring you to tap the '57' mark on the neck to get it to flow smoothly. Today, their plastic squeeze bottles feature silicone valves to solve this exact problem.

The number '57' represents the '57 Varieties' slogan coined by founder Henry J. Heinz in 1896. Although the company produced far more than 57 products at the time, he simply liked the sound of the number. It remains stamped on their packaging today as a tribute to their early history.

Yes, the standard Heinz Tomato Ketchup sold in the United States contains high fructose corn syrup and distilled vinegar. However, they do offer an organic alternative that uses only real cane sugar. The classic recipe has remained relatively unchanged for decades.