# Why does ketchup have 0% vitamin c?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-ketchup-have-0-vitamin-c/401601>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 25, 2007, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-ketchup-have-0-vitamin-c/401601 "2007-04-25T15:41:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![by-tor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/by-tor/32/266_2.png) [@by-tor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/by-tor)\
**Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-ketchup-have-0-vitamin-c/401601/1 "2007-04-25T15:41:16Z")

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My heinz ketchup has 0% vitamin c. My prego spaghetti sauce has 4% and my tomato soup has 10%. Why are these numbers so low? What do they do to the tomatoes that make them loose vitamin c content?

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**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\
**Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-ketchup-have-0-vitamin-c/401601/2 "2007-04-25T15:45:41Z")

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The numbers are calculated as percentages of a person’s daily requirement of vitamin C. The usual serving size of ketchup would be too small to register.

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**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\
**Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-ketchup-have-0-vitamin-c/401601/3 "2007-04-25T15:45:57Z")

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0% is of the daily FDA recommended amount. (RDV - Recommended Daily Value?)

As you only use a Tablespoon or so of catsup at t time, you’re not getting much % wise.

Spaghetti sauce and tomato soup are a larger serving.

If they were showing it in mg (milligrams) you’d see that it’s present, but not a lot in your particular serving.

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**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\
**Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-ketchup-have-0-vitamin-c/401601/4 "2007-04-25T15:46:38Z")

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[QUOTE=by-tor]  
My heinz ketchup has 0% vitamin c. My prego spaghetti sauce has 4% and my tomato soup has 10%. Why are these numbers so low? What do they do to the tomatoes that make them loose vitamin c content?  
[/QUOTE]

Is it 0% content, or 0% recommended daily requirement? You eat a lot less ketchup in one go than you do sauce or soup.

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**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\
**Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-ketchup-have-0-vitamin-c/401601/5 "2007-04-25T16:30:50Z")

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Ketchup does typically contain quite a reasonable amount of vitamin C, weight for weight – say, about [15mg](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketchup), which is 25% of the UK RDA, per 100 grams. But as others have pointed out, you’re not likely to eat enough of it in one sitting for it to be a significant ‘source’ (heh).

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**Author:** ![Potato\_Pancakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Potato\_Pancakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Potato_Pancakes)\
**Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-ketchup-have-0-vitamin-c/401601/6 "2007-04-25T16:32:23Z")

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Better watch it! You might get scurvy if all you eat is that spaghetti!