Houston, we have an innovative release.
Kraft Heinz is bringing an extraterrestrial taste to Earthlings as it unveiled its first bottle of HEINZ Tomato Ketchup Marz Edition. Made with delicious tomatoes grown by recreating similar soil, temperature, and water conditions on Earth to those found on the Red Planet, this collaboration completed its landing with a 14-person astrobiology team at the Aldrin Space Institute at Florida Tech.
“We’re so excited that our team of experts has been able to grow tomatoes in conditions found on another planet and share our creation with the world. From analyzing the soil from Martian conditions two years ago to harvesting now, it’s been a journey that’s proved wherever we end up, HEINZ Tomato Ketchup will still be enjoyed for generations to come,” said Cristina Kenz, Chief Growth Officer for Kraft Heinz International Zone.
Through its collaboration with the Aldrin Space Institute, HEINZ simulated growing tomatoes on Mars. The team successfully yielded a crop of HEINZ tomatoes from the brand’s proprietary tomato seeds, showcasing the exact qualities to pass the rigorous quality and taste standards to become its iconic ketchup.
Led by Dr. Andrew Palmer, the Aldrin Space Institute team submitted the first of three papers for scientific publication that charts the mission.
“Before now, most efforts around discovering ways to grow in Martian-simulated conditions [were] short-term plant growth studies. What this project has done is look at long-term food harvesting. Achieving a crop that is of a quality to become HEINZ Tomato Ketchup was the dream result, and we achieved it,” said Dr. Palmer, Associate Professor at the Aldrin Space Institute. “And working with the Tomato Masters at HEINZ has allowed us to see what the possibilities are for long term food production beyond Earth.”
Two years ago, HEINZ and its Tomato Masters set out to successfully launch the first-of-its-kind experiment that has become one of the largest projects related to Mars ever conducted. Experts in analyzing difficult soil conditions, picking the perfect seeds, and implementing world-leading agricultural techniques played a crucial role in ensuring the unmistakable taste of HEINZ Tomato Ketchup.
For generations, HEINZ has helped people find magic in everyday moments that bring families together and has now discovered how to provide the delicious HEINZ Tomato Ketchup families know and love for the next 150 years and beyond, noted the release.
Although HEINZ Tomato Ketchup Marz Edition bottles are not available for purchase, a batch of out-of-this-world ketchup was unveiled at Heinz HQ, where the experimental sauce has undergone rigorous quality testing to get the all-important green light to become certified bottles of HEINZ Tomato Ketchup.
The HEINZ Tomato Ketchup has already made it beyond Earth into our solar system and has been enjoyed by astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for many years—one of whom is former NASA astronaut and professor of mechanical engineering Mike Massimino, a veteran of two space flights, four spacewalks, and the first astronaut to ever tweet from space. Massimino serves as an ambassador of HEINZ Tomato Ketchup Marz Edition and is a self-confessed HEINZ Tomato Ketchup superfan.
“In space we have a saying, ‘it’s not about the food, it’s about the sauce’—we could choose what food we wanted to eat up there, but lots of the dishes came dehydrated and a little bit bland, so a good dollop of sauce always made your meals delicious, which started my love for HEINZ Tomato Ketchup,” said Mike Massimino, former NASA astronaut.
Additionally, the Kraft Heinz Company continues to invest in its commitments to environmental social governance (ESG) goals including using 100 percent sustainably sourced Heinz Ketchup tomatoes by 2025.
That’s one small step for a ketchup, one giant leap for the industry. Keep reading Deli Market News for the latest news and updates on Earth and beyond.
