McDonald’s Employee Reveals Why Their Ketchup Tastes Different Than Heinz

Despite the potential heath risks, many of us love ketchup. A lot of people even have preferences when it comes to their favorite brands. Recently, TikToker and former McDonald’s chef Mike Haracz shut down a theory about the difference between McDonald’s ketchup and Heinz. As it turns out, the differences in the recipes aren’t as prominent as one might think—or as what another chef is spreading on TikTok. According to Haracz, it comes down to just a few ingredients. Find all of the info below.

There are lots of copycat recipes for beloved fast food items across the internet. Recently, one TikTok chef named Marco shared a recipe for a ketchup meant to taste like the kind you’d find at McDonald’s. Although McDonald’s used to serve Heinz ketchup, that changed back in 2013. Now, many people have a preference for one ketchup over the other—although opinions seem to be divided.

In Marco’s video, he claims to have the answer to why McDonald’s ketchup “hits so much different” than Heinz. He mixed together tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, water, various seasonings, and a cup of honey. In his video, Marco theorizes that “the big difference between McDonald’s and Heinz ketchup is that there’s a little bit more vinegar.”

However, former McDonald’s chef Mike Haracz took to TikTok to set the record straight with a response to this video. “If you go on the McDonald’s website and look under their burgers and look at the ingredients statement of the ketchup that is on their burgers and compare that, the Heinz ketchup it is almost identical,” Haracz says.