Empty shelves in Tesco as Heinz pulls baked beans and other favourites due to pricing stand-off
EMPTY shelves have been spotted at Tesco today after Heinz has stopped supplying the supermarket with some of its key items.
Baked beans, ketchup and tomato soup are among the family favourite cupboard staples missing along aisles.
Heinz has stopped deliveries of key items to Tesco over a pricing spat, with the supermarket claiming it would not "pass on unjustifiable price increases" onto customers.
Shoppers took to Twitter to complain about the lack of supplies of the fan favourite brand.
"Hi suggest you sort the Heinz problem, because remember there is always ," one shopper said.
Another tweeted: "Heinz beans are the only beans. Sort it out ."
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Online shoppers were yesterday rushed to stock up on their favourite items, but many were already showing as unavailable.
But a Tesco spokesman told The Sun that it has "plenty of alternative to chose from" while Heinz products are unavailable.
He added: “We’re laser-focused on keeping the cost of the weekly shop in check, offering customers great value through our combination of Aldi Price Match, Low Everyday Prices and Clubcard Prices.
“With household budgets under increasing pressure, now more than ever we have a responsibility to ensure customers get the best possible value, and we will not pass on unjustifiable price increases to our customers.
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“We’re sorry that this means some products aren’t available right now, but we have plenty of alternatives to choose from and we hope to have this issue resolved soon.”
It said it has a good supply across alternative products such as Branston Baked Beans and its own ranges.
While Kraft Heinz said it is working with Tesco to resolve the situation "as quickly as possible".
"In today's challenging economic environment - with commodity and production costs rising - many consumers are working within tight budgets.
"We always look at how we can provide value through price, size and packs so consumers can enjoy the products they love and trust at a price point that works within their budgets, without compromising on quality.
"We are confident of a positive resolution with Tesco."
Heinz warned in October last year that shoppers would see price hikes to products.
The company's boss Miguel Patricio said spiralling costs were down to rocketing inflation and a lack of truck drivers.
However, it's not the first time Tesco has pulled items from its shelves following a dispute with a manufacturer.
Products such as Marmite and Pot Noodle were removed from the retailer's website in 2016 after makers Unilever claimed Brexit had forced them to hike their prices.
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Uniilever are one of the UK's biggest suppliers of branded foods and households good.
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The brands it stopped delivering to Tesco included PG Tips, Ben & Jerry's, Sure and Domestos.