Heinz is claiming victory in its battle with Princes to be first to bring pouch pack tuna to the UK. It claims that John West Tuna pouches went into Waitrose stores this week, with nationwide distribution scheduled for May. However, Heinz insisted that its hand had not been forced by Princes' announcement in early March that it would be first to market in May with pouches. A Heinz spokeswoman said the launch had always been planned for the final quarter of Heinz's financial year (which ends on April 30). A spokeswoman for Princes said: "We said we would be the first to bring pouches to a major multiple by May and that still stands." John West has five products in its Tuna Pouch range. As well as tuna in oil or water, it is introducing tuna with lime and black pepper, with oven-dried tomato or with a French style dressing. The rsp is 69p for a single serve 85g pack. Separately, importer and distributor Porter Foods brought the French Saupiquet brand of pouch tuna into the UK four weeks ago. The smallest pouch available is 650g, but a Porter Foods representative said smaller doy or pouch packs were in a stage of development. {{NEWS }}

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