Heinz plays catch-up after underfilling ketchup containers

Thursday, November 30th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

LOS ANGELES (AP) _ H.J. Heinz agreed on Wednesday to play catch-up with its ketchup by overfilling bottles sold in California for one year to make up for underweight ones discovered in 1995.

The Pittsburgh company has blamed the low weight on a loss of moisture in new, ``more environmentally friendly'' plastic containers it began using that year.

But prosecutors in Shasta and Los Angeles counties said Wednesday that the bottles were light even after giving credit for moisture loss.

The weighty issue arose after a complaint by consumer Bill Baker.

State officials determined that 20- to 64-ounce containers were short-weighed between 0.5 percent and 2 percent _ an estimated total of 10 million ounces statewide.

Spokesman Michael Mullen said the problem was confined to products sold in California and was corrected within weeks.

The agreement filed Wednesday in Shasta County court requires Heinz to put an extra 1 percent ketchup into each 18- to 64-ounce ketchup containers sold in California for another year _ about 10 million extra ounces.

The extra ketchup will cost the company an estimated $650,000. Heinz also agreed to pay $180,000 in civil penalties and costs.