IT IS enough to make Kevin Rudd shake his sauce bottle. Or at least stir a dead horse.

The term "tomato sauce" could be lost to future Aussies with Heinz, for the first time, advertising ketchup on TV.

In a move Dick Smith labelled "disrespectful" to the Australian culture, Heinz has unveiled a new national ad for Tomato Ketchup, which they say is thicker and has spices and more tomatoes than tomato sauce. "They don't give a stuff about Australian culture or our way of life," Mr Smith said.

"They've basically said if we have one common label and ... call it ketchup all around the world, that's the best way we can make money."

The Heinz website said that Ketchup is a "classic American icon that has been a part of families' lives for more than 130 years".

Channel 9 star Scott Camm said the term tomato sauce would be lost to future generations.

"What, are we gonna start walking down the sidewalk?" he said.

"They're infiltrating us - it's not our way of life."