Campbell Continues to Provide Consumers with an Array of Lower-Sodium Choices

CAMDEN, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Campbell Soup Company (NYSE: CPB) will continue to provide consumers with a wide variety of lower-sodium products, including 90 varieties of Campbell’s soups and more than 100 other Campbell products, such as V8 juices, Prego Italian sauces, SpaghettiOs pastas and most Pepperidge Farm breads.

“Campbell offers consumers a choice of foods to suit their lifestyles and help them meet their dietary goals”

“Reducing sodium was absolutely the right thing for our company to do,” said Denise Morrison, Campbell’s Chief Operating Officer, who will become CEO on Aug. 1. “It’s vital we provide people with a choice, so we will continue to offer an appealing variety of products for consumers who seek reduced-sodium options as well as compelling options for those who do not.”

Campbell’s industry-leading efforts have resulted in over a billion dollars in global sales of reduced-sodium products in fiscal 2010. Campbell’s Healthy Request, the company’s popular line of heart-healthy soups, has had compound annual sales growth of 21 percent over the past five years.

At a meeting with investors on July 12, Campbell provided additional details about its reduced sodium soups:

The company is launching eight new varieties of Healthy Request soups, increasing the line to 33 soups from 25. Campbell’s Healthy Request soups offer heart-healthy versions of some of Campbell’s most popular Condensed, Select Harvest and Chunky soups. All Healthy Request soups contain 410 milligrams of sodium per serving, meet U.S. government criteria for healthy foods and display the American Heart Association’s heart-check mark.
Campbell will continue to provide more than 50 other soups in its Condensed, Chunky, Select Harvest and V8 product lines whose sodium content has been reduced between 10 and 50 percent in the last few years.
In response to consumer feedback, Campbell will improve the taste of 31 of its Campbell’s Select Harvest soups. Enhanced recipes will include a variety of flavors and seasonings, including increased salt. For consumers who desire reduced-sodium options, Select Harvest Healthy Request soups will continue to be an attractive choice.

Campbell also announced that it plans to shift the allocation of its R&D resources to ensure the company’s efforts are focused on a variety of ways to bring innovative products to market, not only on sodium reduction.

“We know that many consumers take great interest in the impact of the foods they eat on their long-term health and well-being,” said Morrison. “But we also recognize that the health and wellness attributes of foods mean different things to different people. For many, weight loss and weight maintenance is of primary importance. Others define their wellness needs in terms of vegetable nutrition, sodium reduction, energy and stamina, or digestive health. Thus, reducing sodium is just one component of our wellness strategy.”

“Campbell offers consumers a choice of foods to suit their lifestyles and help them meet their dietary goals,” Morrison continued. “For example, we provide convenient and delicious ways for people to get more vegetables and whole grains in their diets, which is encouraged by the latest U.S. Dietary Guidelines, but which most people fail to do. Our products can help consumers to meet the recommendations in the Guidelines, whether they are looking to incorporate more vegetables and whole grains in their diets or to decrease their consumption of calories or sodium.”

About Campbell Soup Company

Campbell Soup Company is a global manufacturer and marketer of high-quality foods and simple meals, including soup and sauces, baked snacks and healthy beverages. Founded in 1869, the company has a portfolio of market-leading brands, including “Campbell’s,” “Pepperidge Farm,” “Arnott’s” and “V8.” Through its corporate social responsibility program, the company strives to make a positive impact in the workplace, in the marketplace and in the communities in which it operates. Campbell is a member of the Standard & Poor's 500 and the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes. For more information, visit www.campbellsoup.com.