There’s a Chance Your Fav. Iowa Restaurant Could Run Out of This

There's a few things engrained in ALL Americans from a young age: Listen to your parents, be nice to other, ignore a stranger with candy, ketchup is a gift from the heavens. So it may shock and sadden you to hear, with regard to the latter, it may be hard to find in the near future. Cue the ominous dun dun dunnnn.

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It's sadly true, a report from CNN via KWQC-TV indicates a ketchup may soon grip area restaurants. Recue that dun dun dunnnn. So you're wondering why, right? As you likely guessed, it is COVID-19 related. You see, as the pandemic has rolled on, restaurants have relied heavily on takeout orders to keep their doors open. That cranked up the demand for ketchup packets. Reports are that's hitting everyone reports the low inventory is hitting all our favorite eateries. From our great locally owned restaurants to chains like Texas Roadhouse and Culvers. As a result prices have surged...

This ketchup shortage has caused packet prices to soar 13% since January 2020, according to the restaurant business platform Plate IQ.

But before you cry into your fries, there's some good news. The USA Today reports the best known manufacturer of ketchup, Heinz, is working to increase supply. The hope is they'll have it cranked enough to increase production by 25%, or, more than 12 billion packets a year. Also on the horizon: hope we can eat out again soon and squeeze our ketchup from a plastic bottle like normal human beings.