Heinz Tesco dispute: full list of popular products missing from retailer’s shelves

Baked beans are a key part of a full English breakfast.

The Heinz brand has become synonymous with the product, which it first brought to the UK in Victorian times.

However, a dispute with Tesco has seen the brand’s baked beans and several other key products, like tomato ketchup, disappear from the supermarket’s shelves.

So what is the Heinz Tesco dispute about - and which products have been affected?

Here’s everything you need to know.

Why has Heinz fallen out with Tesco?

Heinz is a brand you expect to see in most supermarkets you go into - perhaps with the exception of discounters Aldi and Lidl who often have their own versions of grocery’s household names.

The US brand has been a major player in the UK since 1886, when Henry Heinz sold five cases of his recently created product to Fortnum & Mason in London.

But on Wednesday (29 June), trade magazine The Grocer reported the UK’s biggest supermarket chain Tesco had fallen out with Heinz.

The dispute is believed to revolve around the pricing of Heinz products, and has seen Heinz halt deliveries to Tesco stores.

Kraft Heinz - the corporation that owns the Heinz brand - suggested in a statement that it has sought to pass on price hikes resulting from “today’s challenging economic environment” that has led to “commodity and production costs rising”.

The war in Ukraine has driven up the cost of food ingredients, given many key foodstuffs have had their supplies threatened by Russia’s invasion and the subsequent economic sanctions on Vladimir Putin’s state.

Food production costs have also risen as a result of major increases to energy bills and the price of fuel.

Heinz insisted: “We always look at how we can provide value through price, size and packs so consumers can enjoy the products they love and trust at a price point that works within their budgets, without compromising on quality.”

Kraft Heinz added that it is “working closely with Tesco” in a bid to get its products back on shelf “as quickly as possible”, and felt “confident of a positive resolution”.

For its part, Tesco suggested Heinz’s price hikes were “unjustifiable” given the UK is in the grip of a major cost of living crisis.

“We’re laser-focused on keeping the cost of the weekly shop in check, offering customers great value through our combination of Aldi Price Match, Low Everyday Prices and Clubcard Prices,” a spokesperson for the retailer said.

“With household budgets under increasing pressure, now more than ever we have a responsibility to ensure customers get the best possible value, and we will not pass on unjustifiable price increases to our customers.

“We’re sorry that this means some products aren’t available right now, but we have plenty of alternatives to choose from and we hope to have this issue resolved soon.”

Tesco pointed to alternative products, such as Branston Baked Beans and Tesco’s own brand as swaps for Heinz Baked Beans.

Neither Heinz nor Tesco gave any indication of when Heinz products would return to shelves.

Which Heinz products are missing from Tesco?

Supermarkets hate empty shelves, but Tesco’s dispute with Heinz has already left the retailer with gaps to fill.

The supermarket’s website currently lists the following products as being out of stock:

• Heinz Baked Beans In Tomato Sauce 4X415g

• Heinz Baked Beans 3X200g

• Heinz Cream Of Tomato Soup 4 X 400G

• Heinz Ravioli In Tomato Sauce 400G

• Heinz Top Down Tomato Ketchup 910G

• Heinz Top Down Squeezy Tomato Ketchup Sauce 700G

• Heinz Top Down Squeezy Tomato Ketchup Sauce 460G

• Heinz Chicken Noodle Soup 400G

• Heinz Salad Cream 605G

• Heinz Salad Cream Light 605G

Some of these products may still be available from some stores, while the stock of Heinz’s other products is likely to vary from store to store.