• The Wall Street Journal, Tuesday, October 2, 2007 10:30 AM

With prices for ketchup ingredients rising rapidly -- 4.7% in the quarter ending Aug. 1 -- Heinz is developing sweeter tomatoes that could cut down on its need for corn syrup, as well as varieties that resist disease and stay fresh longer. Tomatoes that Heinz has already developed could be used in its ketchup in another year or two, and the company is in the early stages of developing varieties even 5% to 10% sweeter than those.

The company won't be broadcasting the new ingredients. Heinz faces risks any time it changes the tomatoes in its ketchup, which could affect the balance of flavors customers know. Ketchup that is too tomato-ish, for instance, could come out tasting like tomato sauce. Heinz officials say their ketchup undergoes rigorous testing before being introduced to the marketplace, and consumers won't be able to detect any difference.

But Heinz hopes consumers will notice efforts to make its ketchup thicker. Ever since the 1960s, Heinz has been marketing its ketchup as "thick and rich." It's counting on other tomato varieties, with a denser texture, to help differentiate it from rivals.

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