McDonald’s Drops Heinz After Ketchup Company Hires Ex-Burger King Executive

The sign is officially hanging outside the McDonald’s treehouse club headquarters: “No Burger Kings Allowed.” There will be no more Heinz ketchup at the Golden Arches, after a former Burger King executive signed on to run H.J. Heinz Co.

Now that former Burger King Worldwide CEO Bernardo Hees made the move to run Heinz, McDonald’s wants nothing to do with the company’s condiment. Hees is also the vice chairman of the board of BK, after all, reports the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

“As a result of recent management changes at Heinz, we have decided to transition our business to other suppliers over time,” McDonald’s said in a statement, ostensibly while crossing Heinz off its list of best friends.

Not that Burger King is crying over it.

“As a matter of policy, Heinz does not comment on relationships with customers,” said the company’s senior vice president of corporate and government affairs. “All our food-service customers globally remain valuable to the company and are an important part of what has made the H.J. Heinz Co. what it is today. We continue to operate respecting every customer while upholding the high level of confidentiality and business ethics that the H.J. Heinz Co. has built with our business partners over the years.”

Most customers in the United States won’t even notice the switch though, as Mickey D’s already does most of its business elsewhere, ever since Heinz couldn’t meet McDonald’s demand in the time of a 1970s tomato shortage.

“It’s a global transition to other suppliers. Heinz was only used in two markets in the U.S.,” said the director of McDonald’s U.S. media relations.

Sorry to you, Pittsburgh and Minneapolis fans of Heinz. It’s all over.

McDonald’s squeezing out Heinz ketchup [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

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