Ketchup: why 240 g per cup is wrong
USDA SR Legacy "Catsup" (FDC 168556), cup portion publishes 240 g (8.5 oz) per US cup of ketchup. This site rejects that figure and publishes 272 g (9.6 oz) instead, from USDA SR Legacy "Catsup" (FDC 168556), tablespoon portion (density 1.1497 g/mL, matching the composition of the substance). The reason:
1.014 g/mL is barely denser than water, but ketchup is not mostly water: USDA's own composition for this record is 68.5% water carrying 27.4% carbohydrate (21.3% sugars) and about 2.3% salt. A liquid carrying roughly 30% dissolved solids is about 1.13-1.15 g/mL, which is what the same record's 17 g tablespoon and the Heinz and Hunt's labels give. 240 g is the weight of 240 mL of water, the nutrition-label cup read as if ketchup weighed the same as water.
The arithmetic
| Source | 1 cup | Density | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| USDA SR Legacy "Catsup" (FDC 168556), cup portion | 240 g8.5 oz | 1.0144 g/mL | Rejected on physics |
| USDA SR Legacy "Catsup" (FDC 168556), tablespoon portion | 272 g9.6 oz | 1.1497 g/mL | Published here |
The published figure and its sources
The full sourcing for ketchup, including every accepted and rejected figure, the state or filling method behind each, and the physics or standards reasoning applied, is on the ingredient page.
SwapGenie
Scan a grocery barcode, get a better version of the same thing.
We built SwapGenie for the problem this site cannot solve: the label. It reads a barcode, scores the product against your own allergens and diet rather than a generic grade, and suggests what to buy instead. On Android now; iOS on February 15, 2027.
Coming February 15, 2027