Canned soup

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article does not cite any references or sources. (April 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improve this article or discuss the issue on the talk page.

This article has been nominated to be checked for its neutrality. Discussion of this nomination can be found on the talk page. (April 2008)

Canned soup is soup that comes packaged in a can. It can be condensed, in which case it is prepared by adding water (or sometimes milk), or it can be ready-to-eat, meaning that it only needs to be warmed. Canned soup can be prepared by heating in a pan or in the microwave. Campbell's is a producer of canned soup. The soups are a convenience product that make quick, easy meals in minutes without a lot of work in the kitchen. They are also often used as a simple base for homemade soups, with the consumer adding anything from a few vegetables to eggs, cream and pasta.

Condensing soup allowed the soup to be packed into a smaller can and sold at lower prices than other canned soups. The soup is usually doubled in volume by adding "a can full" of water or milk (about 10 ounces). These soups seemed a godsend to working mothers, as soup often took all day to prepare from scratch. Vegetable and tomato soups were among the most popular early on. Campbell's also introduced a soup called Chicken Soup with Noodles, a product that they were about to discontinue. A last ditch effort was made to revive the soup by advertising it on the Amos and Andy show. The actors pitching the soup repeatedly mispronounced the name as "Chicken Noodle Soup". The company was inundated with requests for information on where to buy Chicken Noodle Soup. Campbell's wisely changed the soup's name and it quickly became the most popular canned soup sold.

In recent years, the canned soup market has exploded with so-called "ready-to-eat" soups, which require no additional water to make. As of 2006, Campbells has two varieties of ready to eat soups, "Campbell's Selects" and "Chunky," which are offered in "Regular" and "Healthy Requests" recipes, the latter having less salt and/or calories. Progresso and Healthy Choice offer ready-to-eat soups as well. Microwaveable bowls have expanded the ready-to-eat canned soup market even more. The plastic microwaveable bowls offer convenience in the workplace and are popular lunch items.

The most recent innovation for canned soup is Campbell's Soup at Hand. Essentially, it has few differences from traditional microwaveable bowls of soup. But instead of a bowl shaped container, these soups come in a tall container with a lid similar to a travel mug and are drank. Unlike the bowl varieties, this line of soups brings back traditional condensed soups like cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, and tomato soup which are easier to drink because there are no solid pieces of food.