Salad Cream could become Sandwich Cream, its first name change in 104 years on British shop shelves.
Its maker, Heinz, is contemplating the switch after research suggested that “rather than drizzling the creamy white dressing over their greens, as the name suggests, Brits are instead using the salad cream on sandwiches”, The Independent reports.
Other fans reported using the sauce as a dip for crisps, or as an alternative to mayonnaise to accompany chips.
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Only 14% said they actually used salad cream on salad, leading Heinz to conclude that “the name no longer fairly represents the product’s ingredients or usage occasions”, a spokesman told trade journal The Grocer.
Needless to say, the news has not gone down well with hardcore fans, some of whom have already “threatened to boycott Heinz if they go through with their saucy sabotage”, Sky News reports.
Others, including comedian Kathy Burke, were less distressed by the name change:
And at The Independent’s Tom Peck even welcomed the name change, for purely practical reasons:
This is not the first time that the brand has come under threat. In 1999, Heinz revealed plans to discontinue Salad Cream, but the condiment was saved from the chop following vocal protests from horrified fans.
At the time, many speculated that the threat was an attempt to grab headlines and boost dwindling sales - and some have suggested that the name change plans have a similar motive:
Still, there are worse name ideas:
