Heinz has a special place in the heart of British households. Beanz on toast has established itself as an all-day-round staple; spelling out your name in Alphabetti is an essential childhood experience; and Beanz with Sausages is a guilty pleasure – as proven by the consternation caused by the recent recipe changes.
Which makes it even more jarring to witness the level of hatred aimed at Heinz’s latest innovation: a canned Spaghetti Carbonara. Italian chef Alessandro Pipero compared the innovation to “catfood” in an interview with The Times. It’s a damning indictment from the so-called “carbonara king”, who earned the accolade thanks to his namesake Michelin-starred restaurant in Rome.
The Telegraph similarly took the concept to Italian chefs, including two with Michelin stars to their name. Their verdict? “Disgusting” and “a bastardisation” of a national dish.
It’s hard to argue with the latter when looking Heinz’s ingredients list, which includes pancetta, cornflour, skimmed milk powder and a cheese powder blend. It’s a clear deviation from the traditional recipe of guanciale, pecorino, eggs and black pepper.
However, focusing on the opinions of a handful of decorated Italian chefs misses the point: this is a mass-market product aimed at millions of time-poor Brits.
As Kraft Heinz meals director Alessandra de Dreuille points out: “We understand that people are looking for convenient meals that are effortless to prepare, and our new Spaghetti Carbonara delivers just that. It’s the perfect solution for a quick and satisfying meal at home.”
While spaghetti carbonara might be seen as a fairly simple recipe by seasoned foodies, the traditional dish can easily go wrong. Heinz points to a whole Reddit thread dedicated one shopper’s carbonara “fails”. By contrast, it claims its canned recipe is “fuss-free” and “fail-proof”, with no waste.
Plus, it won’t break the bank: the 400g can has an rsp of £2. Meanwhile, a 100g pack of sliced Golfera Italian Guanciale alone costs £3.20 on Ocado.
It’s certainly the right time for Heinz to launch its first pasta in over a decade. The canned pasta market needs perking up, having suffered a 6.1% dip in volume sales to 117.6 million units [Kantar 52 w/e 21 January 2024]. Recruiting younger shoppers, as Heinz hopes to do with its NPD, could help alleviate that stagnation.
As Heinz points out, Spaghetti Carbonara plays to the insight that 32% of Gen Z consumers want their food to be “fast and convenient” [Statista April 2022-March 2023].
It forms part of the fmcg giant’s wider efforts to tempt younger shoppers. For instance, it launched a pickle-flavoured ketchup in November in response to TikTok trends, followed by a trio of pasta sauces similarly inspired by activity on the platform.
The social media element of these innovations is pertinent. Heinz recognises the importance of going viral, and Spaghetti Carbonara has shown there is no such thing as bad publicity: the SKU has already sold out on its DTC platform, Heinz to Home, ahead of its retail launch this month.
So mock Heinz all you want, but there may be method behind the apparent madness of a canned carbonara. Could a canned cacio e pepe come next?
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