Ketchup Ice Pops Are Popping Up in Canada
Courtesy of French's
It's not easy being ketchup: one of the world's favorite foods but always an addition, never the star of the show. Now, the condiment specialists at French's have found out a way to put ketchup front and center without squirting sachets of the stuff into your mouth: a ketchup popsicle.
Launching this week, these limited-edition ketchup-flavored ice pops — called a "Frenchsicle" — are (sadly) only available in Canada, but that doesn't mean they can't pique our interested down here in the States. Even in Canada, scoring one won't be easy. They're being given out for free for one day each at pop up locations in Vancouver; Toronto; and Leamington, Ontario, from today until June 24.
The popsicles were created in collaboration with the Canadian ice pop brand Happy Pops, using 100 percent Canadian tomatoes and sweetened with organic cane sugar, resulting in what French's describes as a "savory tomato flavor [that] is perfectly balanced with a hint of salty sweetness."
"I love creating innovative treats that appeal to Canada's diverse tastes," Happy Pops founder Leila Keshavjee said in the announcement. "I started Happy Pops to bring all-natural, handcrafted flavor to Canadians, so French's locally-grown ketchup is a perfect pairing. I can't wait for people to try this condiment-turned-popsicle."
Additionally, as if the intrigue of a ketchup popsicle alone isn't enough to encourage Canadians to grab one, French's says they'll also donate two meals to Food Banks Canada for every Frenchsicle given away.
"This year we're bringing the fun back to summer with the Frenchsicle," explained Trevor Squires, country manager for McCormick & Company, Canada, which owns the French's brand. "It's exciting to celebrate local food and flavor; from the roots of the Frenchsicle, made with 100 percent Canadian tomatoes, to our Happy Pops partnership."
If you happen to be in Canada over the next couple of days, here's where you can grab your cold ketchup treat (the first of the three giveaways occurred earlier today in Vancouver):
* 15 York Street (Maple Leaf Square) in Toronto on June 23 from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
* 12 W Park Lane in Leamington on June 24 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Meanwhile, these ice pops are far from French's first stab at bizarre products: Dating back to 2019, the U.S. has received French's mustard ice cream, French's mustard beer, and French's mustard hot dog buns. And if history has taught us anything, it's that French's will likely have a strange yellow mustard-inspired item for us arriving at some point toward the end of July.
