Heinz confirms ‘by far the best’ condiment has been discontinued for good as shoppers fume
HEINZ has confirmed that a popular condiment has been discontinued, leaving some shoppers disappointed.
The flavourful spread, often used in cheese sandwiches, is no longer being produced, the company said.
Some shoppers contacted Heinz after noticing that the Ploughman’s Pickle sauce was missing from supermarket shelves.
One wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “I am trying to buy Heinz ploughman’s pickle but can’t buy it anywhere.
“Has it been discontinued? I like it cause it’s Gluten free.”
The company replied: “Thanks for your message.
“Sorry to say but this product has now been discontinued.”
The shopper then said she loved the sauce, adding: “Oh no! It was great & gluten free so great for us coeliacs.”
She added that Branston’s version of the condiment contains barley, meaning it’s not gluten-free.
Another disappointed customer asked earlier this year: “Why is Ploughman’s Pickle unavailable in the East Sussex area?”
And Heinz said: “Unfortunately we no longer produce ploughman’s pickle.”
The condiment was loved by many people, with one describing it as “by far the best pickle for any occasions and use” on Tesco’s website.
Another person wrote in their review: “Thing I really like about this is that it’s gluten free (or at least I don’t react to it, unlike Branston).”
One more Tesco customer added: “Far better than branston.”
In the months before production of the sauce was stopped completely, Ploughman’s Pickle was only available to buy on Ocado.
The sauce is no longer available to buy on the Heinz website or on supermarket websites including Tesco’s.
However, some stores might still have some jars in stock, so check with your local supermarket and you might still be able to find it.
As an alternative, your supermarket might also have its own version of the condiment in stock.
For example, Waitrose makes its own Ploughman’s Pickle, which costs £2.50.
Branston Original Pickle, which is sold as a 360g jar, costs £2.20 at Waitrose, £2.10 at Sainsbury’s and £2.45 at Ocado.
Why are products axed or recipes changed?
ANALYSIS by chief consumer reporter James Flanders.
Food and drinks makers have been known to tweak their recipes or axe items altogether.
They often say that this is down to the changing tastes of customers.
There are a number of reasons why this could be done.
For example, government regulation, like the “sugar tax,” forces firms to change their recipes.
Some manufacturers might choose to tweak ingredients to cut costs.
They may opt for an alternative that’s cheaper, especially when costs are rising in order to keep prices stable.
For example, Tango Cherry disappeared from shelves in 2018.
It has recently returned after six years away, but as a sugar-free version.
Fanta removed sweetener from its sugar-free alternative earlier this year.
Suntory tweaked the flavour of its flagship Lucozade Original and Orange energy drinks.
While the amount of sugar in every bottle remains unchanged, the supplier swapped out the sweetener aspartame for sucralose.
Last month, we reported that Heinz also stopped producing its popular Piccalilli Pickle condiment.
A shopper noticed the Piccalilli Pickle was missing from the shelves and contacted Heinz on X, asking: “Hi I’m in Ireland and your piccalilli has disappeared from our supermarkets.
“Can you tell me when we can expect it back??
“Couldn’t find any in Northern Ireland recently either?”
Heinz replied to the customer to say the condiment is no longer being produced, writing: “Hi Celine, our Piccalilli has been discontinued.”
The disappointed shopper added: “OMG what a bad decision.”
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