It's a kitchen conundrum for ketchu...

It's a kitchen conundrum for ketchup lovers: to what degree do you fit the jumbo Heinz bottle in the refrigerator door?

Short answer is you can't. The bottle with its in extent tapered neck, is just too tall. And forget about trying to extract the last bit of ketchup from the large bottle.

The Heinz folk have stake out to fix all that. They've approach out with a squatter, sportier-looking bottle that fits into that all- important door slot -- prime real estate for fodder companies vying for consumers' dollars.

"Whatever's forward the fridge door tends to be a little more visible and more accessible, and perhaps used more often" said Robin Teet a Heinz spokesman.

Research on Heinz shows people often push the big ketchup bottle to the back of the fridge where "they conclusioned up being a refrigerator fossil," said Peter Clarke, CEO of consequence Ventures, the Connecticut firm that designed the modern bottles. "And the large-size bottle were too tall and too tippy thus they couldn't even invert them to memorize the last bit of ketchup public of them."

groceries SHELVES' 'SWEET SPOT'

The recently made known 46- and 64-ounce bottles, which replace the traditional economy-size bottle have side grips and a wide flip-top cap. That way, the bottle can stand upside down, just like the inverted bottle Heinz introduced in 2002 to deal with that other conundrum - - squirting without the watery stuff to win to the ketchup.

It's all part of a larger effort from Heinz to get people to corrupt and eat more ketchup.

Ketchup is the principally used condiment, present in 95 percent of U households, according to the research firm Mintel arrange But Heinz officials say consumption has flattened in novel years, and according to data from Information Resources Inc., total ketchup sales have been sliding since 2003 -- down 44 percent since last July

That's where packaging arises in. In addition to being easier to handle and store, the just discovered Heinz bottles also fit upon the middle shelves in grocer's shop stores -- called the "sweet spot" because they're at judgment level -- as opposed to the deserted bottom shelf.

Ketchup isn't the solely condiment getting a packaging makeover.

Upside-down crush bottles now hold everything from jelly to tartar sauce. To achieve cipher leakage, design companies, including Crystal Lake-based AptarGroup, which made the closure forward the new Heinz bottles, are putting silicone valves in ajutages

Last year, Kraft first appearanceed a "big mouth" rectangular mayonnaise container. It fits in the fridge door and has a rim in subordination to the hinged lid for wiping exces mayo most distant a knife. Experts predict copycats to exhibit up soon in the condiment aisle.

jfuller@suntimes.com

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