TrueSnopes, as usual, is supporting the Big Food industry, this time Heinz ketchup, by playing a game of semantics. Instead of taking it at face value, they said “it isn’t banned, they just have to relabel it”. Oh really. This is a deceptive game of semantics.
The truth is that Heinz brand ketchup most certainly is banned in Israel. While it is true that you can buy it under the label “tomato seasoning”, that does not exclude that fact that you cannot buy ketchup called Heinz ketchup in Israel. So yes, Heinz ketchup is effectively and certainly banned in Israel.
Why was it banned? Essentially, Heinz ketchup was banned in Israel because it is not really ketchup, so calling it ketchup is false advertising. This is the deeper issue. People want to know if it was banned because they want to know if the reason it was banned is also true.
According to Daily Mail, Heinz ketchup did not contain a reasonable amount of “tomato solids”. In fact, it only contains 21% tomato concentrate – meaning almost 80% of the ketchup is not actually ketchup. This is even worse because on the label it falsely says 61% tomato concentrate (which is still very low by the way). This is shocking to hear, and it is the reason why it is such big news that a country has banned it. So what is the other 80%?
If you pick up a bottle of most ketchup brands that you find in the grocery store (or in your refrigerator), you will notice the first ingredient is “high fructose corn syrup”. That’s right – your ketchup is not really ketchup.
I learned this some time ago when I began cutting high fructose corn syrup out from all my foods. This means that 80% of Heinz ketchup is actually just chemicals. You aren’t eating real tomato sauce but just a chemical concoction with a little bit of tomato thrown in (along with MSG).
Since you cannot buy a bottle that says Heinz Ketchup in Israel, it is clear and certain that it is banned and thus the rumor is true. Saying otherwise is playing a game of semantics to try to trick people.
Sources:
Heinz tomato ketchup faces labeling change in Israel | BBC
Heinz is banned from calling its famous sauce ‘ketchup’ in Israel because it doesn’t contain enough ‘tomato solids’ | Daily Mail
Israel Rules Heinz Isn’t Ketchup | Time
Heinz GMO ketchup banned by Israel for containing too much HFCS, not enough tomatoes | Natural News
Snopes LiedYes, it is apparent that Snopes is utilizing a deceptive bias and tricky wordplay to manipulate Snopes readers.
