Seeds of Our Success

A hybrid Heinz tomato seed is produced by using natural breeding techniques to
cross-pollinate tomato plants. Our seeds are then bred to improve the yield, uniformity, color, disease resistance, and other traits such as tenderness, taste, and the amount of juice in Heinz tomatoes. Heinz only uses traditional breeding techniques and none of our tomatoes are genetically modified.

Seed to Store: Ensuring Quality and Safety
Heinz enjoys another significant competitive advantage in having processes in place to ensure that it can trace the Company’s tomato supply from the seed to the store. Simply put, Heinz is able to track where the tomato seed originates, what was used to help grow and fertilize the tomato plant, where the plant was grown and how, when and where the tomato was processed into a finished product, and how it reached its final retail distribution.

Heinz subjects tomatoes we receive from our growers to rigorous testing standards, visual inspections, and grading. We don’t take just any tomato. Only the very best can be Heinz tomatoes.

Our traceability and quality assurance systems are critical components in our commitment to food safety. Our safety practices include sanitizing incoming hybrid seed to protect against fungus and bacteria, requiring that seedling growers follow strict industry protocol on the use of approved pesticides for preventative spraying, and maintaining records of varieties and seed lots, as well as keeping greenhouse and field records. For example, we retain independent service providers to take samples of seedlings, and test them for pesticide residues. Random fruit samples also are taken from growers to monitor pesticide residue levels in raw tomatoes before they are harvested.

Furthermore, Heinz holds its network of tomato growers to stringent standards limiting the use of pesticides to a list that is more restrictive than the list of EPA-approved pesticides. We promote this tough policy because consumer health and food safety are top priorities at Heinz. We understand that reduced and safe application of pesticides is important for the health and safety of the tomato growers that supply Heinz with produce and the consumers who enjoy Heinz products.

Our Pure Food Company Tradition Lives On
At Heinz, it all starts with the tomato seed, but it ends with products that make Heinz the world’s leading marketer of value added processed tomato products. Overall, Heinz uses more than 2.5 million metric tons of raw tomatoes each year, with 60% utilized in North America and 25% in Europe. Of that total, about 2 million tons are utilized as tomato paste, with about 50% sourced from California. In short, tomatoes are our primary ingredient worldwide.

Our growth in the tomato market reflects our enduring commitment to sustainability. Heinz will continue to deliver superior-quality tomatoes and tomato products to consumers while working with growers to institute ever more productive, efficient, and safe agricultural practices.

<< BACK       PRINT      NEXT >>

Copyright © 2007 H.J. Heinz Company. All rights reserved.