A QR code on a Heinz ketchup bottle linked back to a porn site. (AP)
Heinz has apologized to a German customer after a QR code on one of its tomato ketchup bottles linked to a spicier destination than he was expecting.
The company quickly responded to complaints from Daniel Korell on Thursday after he notified the company that when he scanned the code it uploaded to a porn site. Korell wrote on the company's Facebook page that the ketchup "is probably not for minors" and posted a photo of the site.
“We really regret the incident,” a Heinz representative responded on Facebook.
The QR code on the back of the bottle was meant to provide information about a promotional campaign that offered personalized ketchup bottle labels, reported UPI. Heinz allowed the domain name “sagsmithheinz.de” to lapse after the competition closed in 2014. That's when a pornographic website took it over.
“The bottle may be a remnant, but it is certainly still present in many households,” Korell told Heinz. “It is incomprehensible that you cannot secure the domain for at least one or two years. A .com domain really does not cost the world.”
For his troubles, Heinz offered Korell a custom-designed ketchup bottle free of charge and said that it would rectify the situation. The pornography site also offered Kroll a free subscription to its service, according to German news outlet, Bild.
Fun stories about food, relationships, the great outdoors and more.