Campbell Lowers Sodium in More Than 20 Popular Condensed Soups

The 21 soups, including favorites like Chicken with Rice and Minestrone, are expected to appear on supermarket shelves beginning in June, with all varieties in stores by mid-September.

16 Jun 2010 --- Campbell Soup Company will start shipping twenty-one varieties of Campbell’s condensed soups to retailers nationwide this month at sodium levels reduced by 25 to 45 percent compared to previous levels. This marks the next step in Campbell’s ongoing sodium reduction efforts, bringing the total number of great-tasting soups that have been reduced in sodium to nearly 130 varieties, including 45 Campbell’s condensed soups.

The 21 soups, including favorites like Chicken with Rice and Minestrone, are expected to appear on supermarket shelves beginning in June, with all varieties in stores by mid-September. Most will feature communication on the front label that reads “Less Sodium With Natural Sea Salt Added” to indicate that they are now lower in sodium.

“Reducing sodium in nearly half of our flagship condensed soups is a critical milestone in Campbell’s long-standing sodium reduction efforts. Beyond simply offering lower sodium product lines, we’ve also made significant sodium reductions in our original soups,” said Lisa Walker, Vice President Campbell’s condensed soup, broth and Campbell’s Kitchen. “We know from our decades of experience in sodium reduction that people want foods that are reduced in sodium and taste good, and we are confident that these soups deliver the great taste that people expect from Campbell.”

By Fall, Campbell will offer more than 200 reduced sodium products in the marketplace–an eight-fold increase compared to just five years ago, when the company offered 25 reduced sodium products. Campbell has reduced sodium across its portfolio, including many Campbell’s soups and Pepperidge Farm breads as well as the entire product lines for V8 juices, Prego Italian sauces and Campbell’s SpaghettiOs pasta.

Among the popular soup varieties undergoing sodium reductions of 25 to 45 percent:

* Campbell’s Chicken with Rice, Minestrone and Homestyle Chicken Noodle soups.
* Campbell’s 98% Fat Free cooking soups, including 98% Fat Free Cream of Mushroom and 98% Fat Free Cream of Chicken soup, already reduced in sodium by 25 percent in 2007, will now be further reduced to 480 mg of sodium per serving, the sodium level designated as healthy by the U.S. government.
* All five Campbell’s condensed Light soups, originally introduced in 2009, will be reduced in sodium to meet all government criteria for healthy foods (controlled for fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium and contain a positive nutrient, such as vitamin A).