HEINZ has been slammed by shoppers after making a major change to the recipe of a dinner staple.
Foodies have taken to social media furious after finding out the manufacturer has changed the ingredients to its baked beans with sausages.
The classic flavour now comes with Richmond sausages inside, which contain glutenous wheat protein.
But the previous sausages contained bangers which were gluten free and suitable for coeliacs.
Coeliac disease is a condition where your immune system attacks your own tissues when you eat gluten.
A recent post on the Coeliac Sanctuary – Gluten Free Blog by Alison Peters Facebook page by one member highlighted the recipe change by Heinz.
They captioned the post: “Heinz have for some reason decided to change the sausages in their beans and sausages.
“They have been gluten free for many years but this change means they now contain wheat.”
Hundreds have liked and commented on the post sharing their dismay at the change which means the beans are no longer suitable for gluten-intolerant customers.
One shopper said: “Richmond sausages are cheap and vile!”
Another said: “This is a massive blow for the thousands of us in the gluten free community.”
A third commented: “Backwards move from Heinz UK no longer being gluten free.
“Being coeliac can be so tough and now got a little bit tougher not being able to pick up this quick and easy option.”
Meanwhile, a fourth added: “Oh no. This is going to cause mayhem for my two kids.
“I don’t eat beans or sausages so I’m unaffected by it but they will be so upset.”
Replying to one fuming customer on X, formerly Twitter, Heinz confirmed the original recipe of the beans had been discontinued.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Heinz added: “We’ve updated our recipe to include the nation’s favourite sausage brand.
“We did this in response to resounding consumer feedback about the taste and texture of our sausages and informed shoppers of the change via on-pack labelling, marketing communications and through relevant allergen organisations.”
Heinz hasn’t just been discontinuing specific ingredients in recent months but products as well.
Shoppers were left baffled last month after finding out the manufacturer had axed Ploughman’s Pickle.
One disappointed customer, posting on X, said: “Why is Ploughman’s Pickle unavailable in the East Sussex area?”
Meanwhile, another added: “I am trying to buy Heinz Ploughman’s Pickle but can’t buy it anywhere.
“Has it been discontinued? I like it cause it’s gluten-free.”
In July, we also reported that Heinz had stopped producing its popular Piccalilli Pickle condiment.
A shopper noticed the pickle was missing from shelves and contacted Heinz on X to ask if it had been discontinued to be told by a spokesperson it indeed had.
The same shopper replied branding the move “a bad decision”.
It comes after Heinz also took its cream of tomato soup with a kick of chilli off sale and its tins of Organic Baked Beans.
ANALYSIS by chief consumer reporter James Flanders.
Food and drinks makers have been known to tweak their recipes or axe items altogether.
They often say that this is down to the changing tastes of customers.
There are several reasons why this could be done.
For example, government regulation, like the “sugar tax,” forces firms to change their recipes.
Some manufacturers might choose to tweak ingredients to cut costs.
They may opt for a cheaper alternative, especially when costs are rising to keep prices stable.
For example, Tango Cherry disappeared from shelves in 2018.
It has recently returned after six years away but as a sugar-free version.
Fanta removed sweetener from its sugar-free alternative earlier this year.
Suntory tweaked the flavour of its flagship Lucozade Original and Orange energy drinks.
While the amount of sugar in every bottle remains unchanged, the supplier swapped out the sweetener aspartame for sucralose.
In other retail news, Quality Street has brought back a fan-favourite for the second Christmas is a row.
Plus, an iconic fizzy drink brand is set to be “retired” leaving fans fearing it will be discontinued.
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