For many, the Heinz variety of cream of tomato soup is a mainstay of their diet.
A lovely soup can be very comforting when the nights are cold and our throats are sore and the Heinz version is one of the most popular in Wales and the wider UK. However, the company has now removed the dairy from its traditional Cream of Tomato soup in order to make it vegan. This means two of the traditional ingredients in the product, milk and cream, will be removed.
But how do customers feel about the change. One told the Sun newspaper: “Why did Heinz have to mess with perfection? I can understand that people want to get healthy in the New Year, but how can it be as comforting without the cream? Cream of Tomato has helped me through illnesses, relationship break-ups and many other stressful life events. I just hope they haven’t messed it up.”
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And a second said: “If the experts at Heinz say it’s just as rich and creamy without the cream, I’m willing to give it a try. It’s good news for me as well because I was going to do Veganuary next month anyway. Now I just need to figure out how to butter my toast without the butter!” You can get more consumer news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
Manel Jordao, brand manager at Heinz, said that many of the brand's "iconic" products were plant based. “Since 1869, Heinz have been at the heart of food innovation and our founder, Henry J. Heinz, was truly one of the first plant-based food pioneers," he said. "Not only did he develop some of his first products from ingredients grown in his mother’s garden, iconic products like Heinz Tomato Ketchup and Heinz Beanz have always been plant-based from the start.
“Over 150 years later, we’re continuing to honour Henry’s legacy by finding new ways to bring some of our most loved classic varieties, including Heinz Cream of Tomato Soup and Heinz Beanz and Sausages, to the table. Our incredibly exciting (and incredibly delicious) Heinz plant-based innovations have been several years in the making to provide giving the iconic taste of Heinz, but now plant-based! We’re sorry it’s been such a long time coming but trust us when we say they’ve been well worth the wait. And just in time for Veganuary too!”
D. Toni Vernelli, international head of communications and marketing at the charity Veganuary, said: “This is such exciting news! These products are British staples and our participants have consistently told us they would love vegan versions so it’s wonderful to see Heinz responding to this growing demand for plant-based options. Veganuary’s role is to help people choose plant-based foods, whether their motivation is health, planet, people or animals. And our job is made much easier when people can simply choose vegan versions of their favourite foods. Thank you, Heinz!”
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