Heinz price dispute leaves gaps at Tesco

Tesco supermarkets in Tayside are running out of Heinz products due to a row over pricing. The Courier found empty shelves in every Tesco visited yesterday afternoon.

It emerged on Wednesday that Heinz has paused supply to the UK’s biggest supermarket chain.

The firms have disagreed over terms, with Tesco stating it is looking to ensure “best possible value” for cash-strapped customers.

Stocks are now running low on products such as Heinz baked beans, tomato ketchup and soup.

At the largest Tesco on Kingsway, regular Heinz tomato ketchup is out of stock in all sizes.

Some reduced calorie options are available.

Four flavours of Heinz soup are out of stock.

There are also gaps for certain sizes of baked beans, though packs of four tins are available.

Tesco Riverside in Dundee still has most items, although stocks are running low there as well.

And there’s been a run on chicken noodle soup, which is out of stock.

At Dundee’s South Road, it’s the Heinz salad cream that’s missing from its usual place.

Meanwhile, in Tesco Monifieth there is no stock of certain sizes of ketchup and beans.

A Tesco spokesperson said: “With household budgets under increasing pressure, now more than ever we have a responsibility to ensure customers get the best possible value.

“We will not pass on unjustifiable price increases to our customers.

“We’re sorry that this means some products aren’t available right now, but we have plenty of alternatives to choose from and we hope to have this issue resolved soon.”

Kraft Heinz says it is working closely with Tesco to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.

A spokesperson said: “We always look at how we can provide value through price, size and packs so that consumers can enjoy the products that they love and trust at a price point that works within their budgets, without compromising on quality.

“We are confident of a positive resolution with Tesco.”

EMPTY: Customer favourites are missing from the shelves of some Tesco stores.