Heinz Just Revealed It Made Ketchup With Tomatoes That Can Be Grown on Mars

The condiment company teamed up with scientists to successfully create Heinz Marz Edition Ketchup

In this photo illustration, Heinz Tomato Ketchup is shown in Chicago, Ill., on March 25, 2015. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

By Emily Rella

The billionaire space race and leaps and bounds made toward full human space tourism in the past years have made the prospect of traveling outside of this planet something that not only feels possible but fully probable in the near future.

The idea of eventually spending time in a completely different atmosphere raises questions about how people will spend their time exploring, sightseeing, and, well, eating.

Looks like Heinz Ketchup is ahead of the game with that.

The condiment company teamed up with scientists to successfully reveal Heinz Marz Edition Ketchup, a bottle of ketchup using tomatoes that were grown in conditions that mimic the atmosphere and conditions on the red planet.

“We’re so excited that our team of experts have been able to grow tomatoes in conditions found on another planet and share our creation with the world,” Chief Growth Officer for Kraft Heinz International Zone Cristina Kenz said in a statement. “From analyzing the soil from Martian conditions two years ago to harvesting now, it’s been a journey that’s proved wherever we end up, Heinz Tomato Ketchup will still be enjoyed for generations to come.”

The research and astrobiology team consisted of 14 people working over a nine-month period at Florida Tech, where they successfully grew a crop of tomatoes from earth-grown tomato seeds in the same water, temperature, and soil conditions found on Mars.

“Two years ago, HEINZ and its Tomato Masters set out to successfully launch the first-of-its-kind experiment that has become one of the largest projects of its kind related to Mars ever conducted,” the company said. “Experts in analyzing difficult soil conditions, picking the perfect seeds, and implementing world-leading agricultural techniques played a crucial role in ensuring the unmistakable taste of HEINZ Tomato Ketchup.”

Heinz shared the news excitedly with fans on Twitter.

“Attention saucetronauts: the Heinz Marz Edition had landed,” the company said. “Grown under Mars soil conditions, feast your eyes on mankind’s first out-of-this-world ketchup.”

The ketchup is not for sale to consumers, but was tested at Heinz’s headquarters in Pittsburgh where it passed sufficient taste and quality tests.

“What this project has done is look at long-term food harvesting. Achieving a crop that is of a quality to become HEINZ Tomato Ketchup was the dream result and we achieved it,” said Dr. Andrew Palmer, team lead of the project at the Aldrin Space Institute. “And working with the Tomato Masters at HEINZ has allowed us to see what the possibilities are for long term food production beyond Earth.”

Kraft Heinz Co. was up 23.57 percent year over year as of Wednesday afternoon.