Heinz finally settles long-running debate on whether Ketchup belongs in a refrigerator or cupboard

Does ketchup belong in the refrigerator or the pantry? It’s the age-old debate that Heinz has finally put to bed.

Imagine you’re at the grocery store, and you’ve run out of ketchup (a travesty), and so you pick up a bottle and take it home.

From there, you’re faced with a dilemma: to store it in the cold refrigerator or cool and try cupboard?

It’s a tough call, but only one of those options is correct.

The worst part is that if you make the wrong call, you could be compromising its taste, or god forbid, it’s integrity.

So, what do you do?

Well, the argument has been closed and there’s a clear winner.

Let’s get into it.

How do you store your ketchup? (Smith Collection/Gado / Contributor / Getty)

While you may have been tricked into thinking that the way you’ve been storing it is correct, or even universal, but you’d be wrong.

After conducting a poll on social media, which saw over 2,500 participants eagerly take part, Heinz found that people were puzzled, and opinions were almost evenly split.

So, they decided to come out and tell the world the correct answer themselves.

Heinz representative Olivia Lennon told the Daily Mail: “There was only ever one correct answer, and we're happy to share with Heinz Tomato Ketchup lovers that our ketchup has to be in the fridge.”

Wow, it’s a sad day for the pantry choosers.

They continued: “Although we're aware many Heinz Tomato Ketchup fans have been storing their ketchup in the cupboard, we do recommend refrigeration after opening.”

She continued. "This is the best way to maintain the delicious tangy taste of our Heinz Tomato Ketchup that you know and love."

If that’s not enough to convince you, I’d welcome you to go into your cupboard and take out the ketchup bottle.

Now, turn it around and see what the recommendation says on the back.

Did you see it?

The poll didn't show a great result (ismagilov / Getty)

That’s right. It says: "For Best Results, Refrigerate After Opening."

But this isn’t new to the world, as the brand previously addressed the issue in a similar poll on X in 2017 about how to store ketchup.

"Because of its natural acidity, Heinz Ketchup is shelf-stable," Heinz said.

Think about it, you’re not finding ketchup in the refrigerated section of your grocery store, but that's because it’s sealed and unused.

But when it’s open, it you should ‘refrigerate after opening to maintain product quality.’

Giving a slightly more blunt response to the age old debate, Heinz said again in a tweet in 2023: "FYI: Ketchup. goes. in. the. fridge!!!"

When Redditors questioned this stance, a user had the most perfect response to pantry-lovers.

They wrote: “A lot of condiments like bottled ketchup and mustard are shelf stable for longer than most people would take to use them. Eventually they will degrade in quality enough that you might want to replace it.

“Refrigeration is recomended to maintain their quality but that is usually the only reason. Some artisan or home made varieties might not stand up as well as the mass produced kinds.”

Let’s he real here: do you really want to take the risk of having your ketchup lose its amazing taste just because you don’t want it to be cold?