What Brand Of Ketchup Does McDonald's Use?

As fast-food restaurants grew in popularity during the mid-1900s and beyond, some of their menu items developed a cult following. These days, the world is filled with people who choose Wendy's for its Frosty, Burger King for its signature Whopper, and McDonald's for its french fries — just to name a few. But if you're a true fast-food connoisseur, you might notice that McDonald's ketchup has a semi-sweet, acidic flavor that somehow tastes different than anything on store shelves. That's because the burger giant doesn't actually source its ketchup from another company. It makes its own version of the condiment, known as "Fancy" ketchup.

No, the Fancy label isn't self-proclaimed. It's actually a certification the U.S. Department of Agriculture gives to ketchup brands in the United States that use high-quality ingredients. It has to be made from at least 1/3 tomato solids, which helps give it its rich color, texture, and flavor. After ketchup's bizarre evolution, there are four grades of standard tomato ketchup, with Grade A the highest. This is where McDonald's ketchup falls.

If you could have sworn that McDonald's once served the popular ketchup brand Heinz, your memory isn't failing you. McDonald's did have a partnership with Heinz, but most of that ended in 1973, when Heinz chose its glass-bottle business over McDonald's during a tomato shortage. There was still Heinz ketchup in McDonald's in Pittsburgh and Minneapolis afterward, but that stopped in 2013. "As a result of recent management changes at Heinz, we have decided to transition our business to other suppliers over time," a statement from McDonald's read at the time, per NBC. It was referring a former Burger King CEO being hired to head Heinz.

McDonald's had initially intended to add other suppliers over time, but in the U.S., you'll find its house brand at every location. Although some think all ketchup looks and tastes the same, the McDonald's house-brand ketchup is a little thinner and sweeter than the Heinz variety. That doesn't matter to everyone, but true ketchup fans could probably spot the difference.