Sanofi to Acquire Dynavax in $2.2 Billion Deal to Strengthen Vaccines Portfolio 
Taiwan Stock Market Ends Higher as Semiconductor and Energy Shares Lead Gains 
Asian Markets Rise as AI Rally Caps 2025, Gold and Silver Hit Record Highs 
Mexico Antitrust Review of Viva Aerobus–Volaris Deal Signals Growth for Airline Sector 
Nvidia to Acquire Groq in $20 Billion Deal to Boost AI Chip Dominance 
Gold Prices Surge to Record Highs as Geopolitical Tensions Fuel Safe-Haven Demand 
Oil Prices Edge Higher as Strong U.S. Growth and Supply Risks Support Market 
Tokyo Core Inflation Stays Above BOJ Target, Strengthening Case for Further Rate Hikes 
IMF Reaches Staff-Level Agreement With Egypt, Opening Path to $3.8 Billion in Funding 
FTC Praises Instacart for Ending AI Pricing Tests After $60M Settlement 
Russian Stocks End Lower as Energy and Mining Shares Weigh on MOEX Index 
Oil Prices Rise on Venezuela Sanctions and Nigeria Airstrikes Despite Annual Losses 
Asian Stock Markets Trade Flat as Holiday Liquidity Thins and BOJ Minutes Watched 
Hanwha Signals Readiness to Build Nuclear-Powered Submarines at Philly Shipyard for U.S. Navy 
Boeing Wins $2.04B U.S. Air Force Contract for B-52 Engine Replacement Program 
Hyundai Recalls Over 51,000 Vehicles in the U.S. Due to Fire Risk From Trailer Wiring Issue 
U.S. Stock Index Futures Steady After S&P 500 Hits Record on Strong Economic Data 
Ketchup is reportedly running out in the U.S., and restaurant owners are finding it hard to look for the precious condiment. The ketchup shortage is said to have started last summer, but the situation worsened this year.
How the ketchup shortage happen
CNN Business reported that it happened due to the COVID-19 pandemic as it was the time when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began prohibiting and discouraging people from dining in restaurants.
The public has been advised to opt for delivery or take-outs since these are safer methods to have their favorite meals while also avoiding contracting the coronavirus. This is the simplest explanation for the ketchup shortage, and it makes sense given the number of food deliveries each day.
To prove that the supply for ketchup is very low, CNN mentioned that Blake Street Tavern restaurant owner, Chris Fuselier, is looking for packets of ketchup every time he opens his business. This means that he always has to search for the said condiment every day since it is a necessity in his restaurant.
Fuselier said that the supply of ketchup did not get better even after months. Rather, the problem got deeper that he started hoarding the condiment from other dining places.
"It's gotten so bad that when I go to McDonald's or Wendy's, I'll hoard those extra packets to bring back to Blake Street," he confessed.
The attempt to address the increasing demand for ketchup
With customers shifting to takeout orders or delivery in this time of the pandemic, the requirement for ketchup has gone up. As a result, they are running low on ketchup, and it is affecting restaurants and fast food outlets.
The high demand and low supply caused the price of ketchup packets to go up by as much as 13% since January 2020. But there is good news - Heinz, the country’s largest producer of the tomato-based condiment, vowed to ease the shortage by increasing its production by 25% and be able to make at least 12 billion packets a year, USA Today reported.
"We made strategic manufacturing investments at the start of the pandemic to keep up with the surge in demand for ketchup packets driven by the accelerated delivery and take-out trends; at the same time, we also fast-tracked future-focused culinary and packaging innovations, as well as further manufacturing expansion plans," Kraft Heinz's home business unit president, Steve Cornell, said.
