Heinz Ranks Number One in Customer Satisfaction Among All 225 Companies in the American Customer Satisfaction Index

“Heinz is extremely proud to be recognized as a leader among all industries in satisfying U.S. consumers and their appetite for high-quality products that meet their expectations and deliver real value.

Nov 16 2011 --- H.J. Heinz Company is pleased to announce that the Company ranked first in overall customer satisfaction among all 225 companies in 47 industries in the 2011 American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), which has been released.

Heinz led all companies with an overall customer satisfaction score of 89, which measures its performance in categories including quality, value, consumer loyalty and consumer expectations. Heinz’s score was 8 points higher than the average for the food processing industry and up one point from a year ago. Heinz also topped all 12 food manufacturers in the ACSI for the twelfth consecutive year.

The ACSI scores and rankings are based on customer evaluations of the quality of products and services available to household consumers in the United States. Heinz has held the ACSI’s number-one ranking among food manufacturers since 2000.

Commenting on the 2011 ACSI ranking, Heinz Chairman, President and CEO William R. Johnson said: “Heinz is extremely proud to be recognized as a leader among all industries in satisfying U.S. consumers and their appetite for high-quality products that meet their expectations and deliver real value. Our number-one ranking in the U.S. reflects our commitment to manufacturing consistently great-tasting premium foods that enhance consumers’ meals at home and at restaurants. Year after year, consumers know they can count on Heinz.”

Premium food products that Heinz manufactures in the U.S. include its flagship Heinz Ketchup, the number-one brand, as well as Heinz gravy and condiments, Classico pasta sauces, Ore-Ida frozen potatoes, Weight Watchers Smart Ones frozen meals, snacks and desserts, and T.G.I. Friday’s frozen meals and snacks.

“Heinz has a long track record of combining consistent quality with value pricing and successfully accommodating its products to a wide range of consumer tastes. As a result, Heinz’s ACSI scores are exceptionally strong and it remains a costly proposition for competition to take away its customers,” said ACSI Founder Claes Fornell.