Some popular Heinz products are currently off Tesco shelves amid a price dispute.
Customers have not been able to buy some classic cupboard staples like Baked Beans, tomato soup and even Ketchup online and in some Tesco stores.
The company behind the UK family favourite Kraft Heinz has said that it is working closely with Tesco to resolve the situation caused by rising production costs.
Heinz products disappear from shelves amid price dispute
A Kraft Heinz spokesperson said: “We are working closely with Tesco to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.
“In today’s challenging economic environment – with commodity and production costs rising – many consumers are working within tight budgets. 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.
“We are confident of a positive resolution with Tesco."
"We're sorry that this means some products aren't available right now. We hope to have this issue resolved soon," a Tesco spokesperson said.
The leasing supermarket added: “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.
“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."
Kraft Heinz is understood to have paused supply to the retailer which is why shoppers are struggling to stock up on items from across the Heinz brand.
Customers started to become aware of the issues after the CEO of Grocery Insight Steve Dresser posted screenshots of the out-of-stock products on Twitter, and speculated that it was related to “challenges over cost price increases”.
Dresser noted that the 4x415g pack of Heinz Baked Beans, 700g Heinz Squeezy Tomato Ketchup, 605g Heinz Salad Cream as well as Heinz Ravioli were unavailable.
All of the above products remain out of stock at the time of writing.
In recent months food manufacturers have reported rising costs, including for energy and commodities, with some warning they would need to raise the prices they charge to retailers.
The price of a 4x400g pack of Heinz Cream of Tomato Soup, for instance, had risen from £2.50 to £3.50 in Sainsbury’s, while a 4x200g pack of Beanz Snap Pots had risen from £2.50 to £2.99 in Morrisons.
A single 415g can of Beanz in Asda has risen from 90p to £1.20, according to retail researchers Assosia.
Rising food prices have helped push inflation to a 40-year high and shoppers are already cutting back on the amount of food they buy, according to a survey for the Office for National Statistics.
This is not the first time that popular products have disappeared from Tesco shelves.
In fact earlier this year, Colgate toothpaste disappeared following a similar situation with the US consumer brand Colgate-Palmolive.
