The switch during the pandemic from shared bottles to individual packets in order to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus and the increase in food deliveries have played a significant role in the shortage.<br />Data reveals a 13 percent increase in ketchup packet prices since Jan. 2020. <br />Retail ketchup sales increased by 15 percent, as well.<br />Because the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) currently recommends the use of "single serving condiments,"Heinz has plans to increase its production of single serving ketchup packets by 25 percent.<br />This equates to a production goal of over 12 billion packets of ketchup per year.<br />Flour, pepperoni and aluminum cans have also been in shorter supply over the past year.
