Heinz has unveiled a special edition of its original Heinz ketchup, using the same ingredients as always, but this time via a “martian” process: the tomatoes used to create the “Marz Edition” ketchup were grown in soil, water, and temperature conditions found on Mars.
The project was in the works for two years, and has officially been tested last week by officials, though public consumption of the product has not yet been approved. Andrew Palmer, leader of the team at the Florida Institute of Technology’s Aldrin Space Institute, says, “Achieving a crop that is of a quality to become Heinz tomato ketchup was the dream result and we achieved it, […][allowing] us to see what the possibilities are for long-term food production beyond Earth.”
The “Marz Edition” ketchup is an achievement that highlights what potential future food production on Mars could look like. Being able to grow food on Mars is key in knowing if future human habitation of the Red Planet is possible. Heinz’s Marz Edition ketchup comes just after chili peppers were successfully grown in space, becoming another important factor in a potential celestial future.
