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Heinz Ketchup Gets Funky With New Purple EZ Squirt

Purple reigns. Purple reigns. Heinz Ketchup announced today that Heinz EZ Squirt Funky Purple will join Heinz EZ Squirt Tomato Red and Blastin' Green in its growing complement of colored condiments. Consumers will start seeing the color purple on grocers' shelves in early September

"The tremendous success of Heinz EZ Squirt Blastin' Green showed us that kids love decorating their food with colors that are bright, wild, even a little ... funky," said Casey Keller, Managing Director for Ketchup, Condiments and Sauces at Heinz North America. "Literally thousands of people called, wrote or e-mailed us demanding a new Heinz EZ Squirt color, and the vast majority of kids asked for purple."

The Heinz EZ Squirt color team turned to the experts for help -- kids. After all, children are the No. 1 consumers of ketchup, devouring more than half of all ketchup in the United States -- roughly 5 billion ounces annually. Kids and the Heinz EZ Squirt color team developed new prototypes that would give kids a bold new color they can use to personalize everything from hot dogs and french fries to macaroni and cheese.

"Boys and girls alike love the cool purple color," said Brian Hansberry, Vice President of Marketing for Ketchup, Condiments and Sauces at Heinz North America. "Just look at kids' entertainment, and you'll find everything from purple computers to Harry Potter purple lightning bolts. Purple is a bold, fun color that brings a hint of mystery and magic to kids' condiment creations."

Funky Purple Makes Meals More Fun
"Purple is one of the hottest colors for kids right now. In an era when kids can't get enough monsters and wizards, the bold, powerful color purple has reached new heights of popularity. It's consistently a kid favorite," said Jay de Sibour, President of the Color Marketing Group, a not-for-profit international association of 1,700 color designers involved in the use of colors as they apply to marketing of goods and services. "Purple is a color with attitude that appeals to kids of all ages and is equally liked by both boys and girls."

Kids like psychedelic purple flowers on hamburger buns and purple racing stripes on hot dogs. The curvy soft plastic of the Heinz EZ Squirt bottle is designed for smaller hands and the typical, two-fisted grip favored by kids. The nozzle is notably narrow to create a thin stream, enabling young condiment artists to use more precision when decorating their dinners. Moms and dads are sure to like the added Vitamin C that Heinz EZ Squirt Funky Purple offers.

Nearly a year ago, Heinz EZ Squirt Blastin' Green captured the imagination of consumers -- kids and grownups alike. More than 10 million bottles were sold in the first seven months, with Heinz factories working 24 hours a day, seven days a week to keep up with demand. Desperate consumers eager to get their hands on Heinz EZ Squirt Blastin' Green tried everything from impersonating Heinz executives' relatives to bidding for bottles posted on eBay. The product launch made headlines around the world, even though its distribution is only now expanding outside the U.S.

Kids can learn more about the new Funky Purple EZ Squirt product by logging onto www.heinz.com.

With sales over US$9 billion, H.J. Heinz Company is one of the world's leading marketers of branded foods to consumers everywhere, whether in supermarkets, restaurants or on the go. Its 50 companies operate in some 200 countries, with more than 20 power brands, including the Heinz brand with nearly US$3 billion in annual sales. In addition to the Heinz brand, other famous brands within the company include: StarKist, Ore-Ida, 9-Lives, Wattie's, Plasmon, Farley's, Smart Ones, Bagel Bites, John West, Petit Navire, Kibbles 'n Bits, Pounce, Pup-Peroni, Orlando, ABC, Olivine, Juran and Pudliszki. Heinz also uses the famous brands Weight Watchers, Boston Market and Linda McCartney Frozen Meals under license. Information on Heinz is available at www.heinz.com .