Heinz Hopes to See ‘Green' with Ketchup Aimed at Kids
H.J. Heinz Co. (Pittsburgh) is using innovative packaging to pump new life into a long-existing product. The ketchup giant says it will launch Heinz EZ Squirt — ketchup designed especially for kids — this fall. Available in both new, fun green and traditional red colors, the product's packaging will include a twist-to-open dispensing closure and a "kid-friendly"-shaped plastic bottle.
Because children are the No. 1 users of ketchup — consuming more than half of all ketchup in the United States — Heinz surveyed more than 1,000 kids throughout the country to develop Heinz EZ Squirt. The survey results helped determine the product's packaging, dispensing system, name selection and unique new color choice, according to Kelly Stitt, brand manager for Heinz EZ Squirt.
Heinz, which worked in conjunction with international branding consultancy Interbrand (New York), found that children like to personalize their food, therefore the package design enables better and more precise dispensing control to help kids turn their foods into fun at mealtime. "The package gives kids more control over their dispensing by providing a thinner stream of ketchup," says Stitt. Heinz anticipates that increasing kids' mealtime enjoyment will translate into more trips to the refrigerator.
"We created the package so that when kids go to use it, the shape of the bottle combined with the dispensing nozzle create a pen-like device," explains Mitch Gottlieb of Interbrand. "The custom-fit curves accommodate kids' instinctive two-handed grip."
Instead of a conventional flip-top closure typically used for ketchup, Heinz EZ Squirt employs a twist-to-open dispensing nozzle that would be more typical of a mustard container. However, instead of a standard .250 orifice size when opened, the Heinz EZ Squirt closure features a thinner, .093 orifice size. This provides the ultra-thin stream that directs ketchup exactly where it is squirted, giving kids better control and enabling them to be creative and personalize their food.
The closure, says Heinz USA's Wayne Cleary, manager of packaging materials systems, is supplied by Creative Packaging Corp. (Buffalo Grove, IL) and is produced in both green for the new Blastin' Green ketchup, which incorporates artificial food coloring, and in red for the traditional red product. The closure's base is made of polypropylene, while the spout is linear low-density polyethylene. A peelable induction seal provides tamper-evidence.
Cleary notes that the twist-to-open style closure also gives the user — typically kids — more positive shutoff than traditional ketchup closures. "You can start and stop the stream very easily," says Cleary.
The bottle itself is also customized with kids' needs in mind, featuring ergonomic curves for smaller hands and easier squeezing. Supplied by Pechiney Plastics (Chicago), the bottle consists of a six-layer construction, according to Cleary, incorporating an inner and outer layer of polypropylene with a layer of EVOH for barrier. Two layers of adhesive tie and a layer of regrind are included in the structure. The construction gives the bottle a soft feel to further enhance childrens' control when dispensing. "The construction is more pliable and easily squeezed compared to, say, a PET bottle," says Cleary. "There are no ribs that might retard squeezability."
The 24-oz. bottle is encased in a shrink-sleeve from American Fuji Seal Corp. (Fairfield, NJ). The 2-mil oriented polystyrene label covers the bottle from its neck to its base and is printed in eight colors. The labels are color-coordinated to match the green and red products, respectively. The OPS labels, which Cleary says have a soft hand-feel and excellent shrink characteristics, are applied and shrunk on an Intersleev unit.
With kids represented in more than 33 million U.S. households, products marketed to this influential consumer make up a $10 billion business for today's retailers, according to Heinz. "We gained important, even subtle, insights from kids about their need for control and creativity at mealtime," says Joe Jimenez, president and CEO, Heinz North America. "Kids told us how to make eating a better experience, and Heinz EZ Squirt is the solution that lets kids personalize their food."
Enriched with Vitamin C and the only ketchup fortified for children, Heinz EZ Squirt's new Blastin' Green color is aimed at providing children with fun, excitement and variety at mealtime.
The new package will be available nationally beginning this fall and will retail for approximately $1.79. The U.S. rollout of Heinz EZ Squirt will be accompanied by national advertising and promotional support.
For more information:
Creative Packaging Corp., Tel: 847-808-7200, Fax: 847-215-0351
Pechiney Plastic Packaging Inc., Tel: 773-399-3000
Creative Packaging Corp., Tel: 973-882-5600, Fax: 973-882-5616
Interbrand, Tel: 212-798-7500, Fax: 212-798-7501
By Bill Noone