Heinz Baked Beans
A Heinz canned bean product made from haricot beans in tomato sauce and especially associated with British and Irish everyday cooking. Brand name for Heinz baked beans in the UK market.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Heinz Baked Beans is a canned food product associated with the Heinz brand and best known in the United Kingdom and Ireland, where the product is commonly sold under the shortened name Heinz Beanz. It consists primarily of haricot beans in a seasoned tomato sauce and is generally sold as a shelf-stable, ready-to-heat food. The product is used as a breakfast accompaniment, side dish, snack, or ingredient in meals such as beans on toast. The product entered the United Kingdom in 1886 through Fortnum & Mason in London. Heinz subsequently expanded its British manufacturing infrastructure, opening an overseas office in London in 1896 and its first British factory in Peckham in 1905. A second London factory followed at Harlesden in 1919. Production later moved toward north-west England: manufacturing began at a former munitions site at Standish near Wigan in 1946, followed by the opening of the Kitt Green factory near Wigan in 1958. Kitt Green became a major Heinz food-production site and was described in reference material as one of Europe’s largest food factories in 2012, producing more than one billion cans of food annually across its output. Heinz Baked Beans became particularly embedded in British food culture during the Second World War. From 1941 to 1948, the Ministry of Food classified the product as an essential food within the wartime rationing system. Heinz also invested in demand-building advertising, including a 1927 campaign intended to encourage greater consumption of beans. The product’s strongest advertising association came in 1967 with the slogan “Beanz Meanz Heinz,” created by advertising executive Maurice Drake. The slogan became one of the most recognizable food advertising lines in the United Kingdom and helped connect the product with the wider Heinz identity. The naming was adjusted in the United Kingdom during the twenty-first century. The product was marketed as Heinz Baked Beanz from 2004 and as Heinz Beanz from 2008, with the company explaining that the shorter name was easier to say. The underlying product range has continued to include the familiar beans-in-tomato-sauce format while also being adapted for different markets. Canadian products include an Original in Tomato Sauce formulation, a British Style version, and a variety made with maple syrup. New Zealand manufactures an English Recipe version, including products distributed to Malaysia. Manufacturing uses a canning process in which raw haricot beans and tomato sauce are sealed in cans and then pressure-cooked in large industrial cookers. This process cooks the beans, thickens the sauce, and gives the product a long shelf life. A standard 415-gram can was described as containing an average of 465 beans. Packaging and formulation have also been subject to scrutiny over can linings and bisphenol A. Following examination of canned goods by the United Kingdom Food Standards Agency in 2001, Heinz acknowledged the use of BPA in can-coating membranes while stating that it was committed to alternatives. By 2019, Heinz UK said that most popular varieties of its beans were packaged in non-BPA cans. Heinz Baked Beans remains an active Heinz product line sold in multiple countries. Its importance is both commercial and cultural: it is a mass-market pantry product, a long-running example of branded canned food, and a product whose advertising, wartime availability, manufacturing history, and everyday uses have made it unusually prominent in the United Kingdom.
History
Heinz Baked Beans first appeared in the United Kingdom in 1886, when the product was sold through Fortnum & Mason in London. Its British presence developed alongside the expansion of the H.J. Heinz Company. Heinz opened its first overseas office in London in 1896 and established its first UK factory at Peckham in south London in 1905. A second London site opened at Harlesden in 1919. The company later expanded production outside London. In 1946, Heinz began production at a former munitions factory at Standish near Wigan. In 1958, a new factory opened at Kitt Green, also near Wigan. Kitt Green became a major manufacturing centre for Heinz food products and, by 2012, was described as one of Europe’s largest food factories. Its reported annual output exceeded one billion cans of food, although that figure covered the factory’s broader production rather than only baked beans. The product acquired particular importance during the Second World War. The UK Ministry of Food classified Heinz Baked Beans as an essential food between 1941 and 1948, placing it within the country’s wartime rationing framework. Heinz also promoted the product as an everyday food before and after the war. A 1927 marketing campaign sought to encourage people to eat more beans, contributing to the product’s development as a regular household staple. In 1967, Heinz introduced the advertising slogan “Beanz Meanz Heinz.” The line was created by advertising executive Maurice Drake and became a defining expression of the product’s British identity. It connected the generic idea of beans with the Heinz name and remained one of the best-known food slogans in the United Kingdom. In 1998, Heinz Baked Beans was selected as one of twelve leading British brands in a millennium-related public vote. The product’s name changed in the UK during the 2000s. It was rebranded Heinz Baked Beanz in 2004 and then Heinz Beanz in 2008. Heinz explained that the shorter name avoided the difficulty of pronouncing the original full name. The product remained recognizable through its packaging, tomato-sauce recipe, and association with the broader Heinz brand. Heinz beans are also produced or distributed in several Commonwealth and other international markets. Canadian products have been manufactured for more than a century and include a local Original in Tomato Sauce recipe, a British Style product, and a maple-syrup version. New Zealand manufactures an English Recipe product, while New Zealand-made vegetarian beans in tomato sauce have been distributed in Malaysia. These variations show that the product is adapted to local markets rather than being identical worldwide. The production method is based on canning. Raw haricot beans and tomato sauce are sealed in cans, which are then processed in large pressure cookers. Pressure cooking produces the characteristic thick sauce and helps provide a long shelf life. Reference material states that a standard 415-gram can contains an average of 465 beans. The product has also been involved in food-safety and advertising-regulation issues. In 2001, the UK Food Standards Agency examined canned foods for BPA, a chemical associated with some can-lining materials. Heinz acknowledged that BPA formed part of the membrane lining its cans, while emphasizing the position of UK and European authorities that the detected levels were safe and stating that the company was seeking alternatives. By 2019, Heinz UK said that most popular bean varieties used non-BPA cans. Separately, a 2016 advertising campaign featuring people playing empty cans as musical instruments was banned by the Advertising Standards Authority on safety grounds. In 2019, Heinz opened a temporary Beanz Museum in London’s Covent Garden. The interactive exhibition presented the product’s history and marked the 150th anniversary of the wider Heinz company. Heinz Baked Beans continues as an active product line of The Kraft Heinz Company, with its strongest historical and cultural presence in the United Kingdom and Ireland and continuing distribution in international markets.
- 2019
Beanz Museum opens in London
[1]Heinz operated a temporary interactive Beanz Museum in Covent Garden from 30 August to 1 September to mark the wider Heinz company’s 150th anniversary.
- 2016
Advertising campaign banned on safety grounds
[1]The UK Advertising Standards Authority banned a campaign showing people using empty bean cans as musical instruments.
- 2012
Kitt Green described as a major European food factory
[1]Reference material described the Kitt Green site as one of Europe’s largest food factories, with annual output of more than one billion cans across its products.
- 2008
UK name changes to Heinz Beanz
[1]The UK branding was shortened to Heinz Beanz, dropping the word “Baked.”
- 2004
UK name changes to Heinz Baked Beanz
[1]The United Kingdom product was rebranded from Heinz Baked Beans to Heinz Baked Beanz.
- 1998
Named a leading British brand of the millennium
[1]Heinz Baked Beans was voted one of twelve leading brands in a United Kingdom millennium-related poll.
- 1967
“Beanz Meanz Heinz” campaign launches
[1]Heinz introduced the slogan “Beanz Meanz Heinz,” created by advertising executive Maurice Drake.
- 1958
Kitt Green factory opens
[1]A new Heinz factory opened at Kitt Green near Wigan and later became a major food-production site.
- 1946
Production begins near Wigan
[1]Heinz began production at a former munitions factory at Standish near Wigan.
- 1941
Classified as an essential food
[1]The UK Ministry of Food classified Heinz Baked Beans as an essential food during wartime rationing; this status continued through 1948.
Products and positioning
Mass-market, convenient, shelf-stable household food with strong British cultural associations.
Canned beans · 1886
Heinz Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce
The core Heinz bean product consists of haricot beans sealed with tomato sauce and processed in cans. It is designed as a shelf-stable, ready-to-heat pantry food and is strongly associated with British and Irish breakfasts, beans on toast, and other everyday meals. The Canadian Original in Tomato Sauce product resembles the UK product but uses a somewhat different recipe. It is part of Heinz’s long-established Canadian bean range, which has been manufactured in Canada for more than a century.
Canned beans
Heinz Beans British Style
This Canadian-market style is intended to provide a British-oriented bean formulation within the local Heinz range. It demonstrates how the product family has been adjusted and positioned differently across national markets.
Canned beans
Heinz Beans with Maple Syrup
The Canadian range includes a bean product made with maple syrup, reflecting a local flavour adaptation while retaining the broader Heinz canned-bean format.
Canned beans
Heinz Beans English Recipe
Manufactured in New Zealand, the English Recipe product is a regional version of Heinz beans. New Zealand production also supplies some Heinz vegetarian beans in tomato sauce distributed to Malaysia.
Marketing campaigns
- 2016Empty cans as musical instruments
United Kingdom
An advertising campaign depicted people using empty Heinz bean cans as musical instruments. The Advertising Standards Authority banned the campaign because of safety concerns.
Outcome. The Advertising Standards Authority banned the campaign because of safety concerns.
- 1967Beanz Meanz Heinz
United Kingdom
The campaign introduced the slogan “Beanz Meanz Heinz,” linking the generic food category directly to the Heinz name. The line was created by advertising executive Maurice Drake and became a highly recognizable British advertising slogan and one of the product’s defining brand assets.
Outcome. The slogan became one of the product’s defining brand assets and a durable part of British food culture.
- 1927Eat More Beans
United Kingdom
Heinz created a marketing campaign encouraging people to increase their consumption of beans, helping position the product as an ordinary household food rather than an occasional specialty. The campaign contributed to the product’s long-term promotion as an everyday staple.
Outcome. The campaign contributed to the product’s long-term promotion as an everyday staple.
Brand decisions
2019
Move most popular UK bean varieties to non-BPA cansOtherBackground
BPA had been identified as a component of some can-lining membranes, prompting continuing public and regulatory attention to food packaging.
Action taken
Heinz UK stated that most popular varieties of its beans had been switched to cans without BPA.
Aftermath
The change formed part of Heinz’s response to packaging-material concerns, although the available reference does not establish that every Heinz bean product had moved to non-BPA packaging.
2008
Shorten the UK brand name to Heinz BeanzStrategyBackground
Heinz stated that the original product name was cumbersome to pronounce.
Action taken
The UK product dropped the word “Baked” and was branded Heinz Beanz.
Aftermath
The shortened name became the principal UK retail branding while the product continued to be recognized internationally as Heinz Baked Beans.
2004
Rebrand as Heinz Baked Beanz in the United KingdomStrategyBackground
Heinz changed the spelling of the UK product name while retaining its established visual and product identity.
Action taken
The product was marketed as Heinz Baked Beanz.
Aftermath
The name was changed again in 2008 to Heinz Beanz.
Recent events
- 2019
Heinz UK reports non-BPA cans for most popular bean varieties[1]
Product generation · Regulation
Heinz UK stated that most of its popular bean varieties had moved to cans made without BPA.
- 2016
Heinz advertising campaign using empty cans as musical instruments is banned[1]
Campaign · Regulation
The United Kingdom Advertising Standards Authority banned a Heinz campaign that showed people using empty baked-bean cans as musical instruments, citing safety concerns.
- 2001
Heinz addresses bisphenol A concerns in can coatings[1]
Regulation · Other
After the UK Food Standards Agency examined canned foods and reported traces of BPA in some samples, Heinz stated that BPA was used in can-lining membranes and that it was pursuing alternatives.
- 1941
Heinz Baked Beans are classified as an essential food during wartime rationing[1]
Regulation
The United Kingdom Ministry of Food classified Heinz Baked Beans as an essential food from 1941 through 1948 within the wartime rationing system.
Sources2 sources
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