Campbell Presents … Soup & Sodium

Last week, Campbell’s new CEO informed the investor/analyst community about the company’s plans to stop messing around with their soup’s sodium levels and just give consumers what they want (actually, what they’ll buy in higher volumes). That is, “better taste" by upping sodium levels to 650 mg from 480 mg in 31 of their Select Harvest soups. Apparently Campbell’s experienced enough of a hit in market share to conclude their “attempts at doing good" and using lower sodium formulations as an experiment in innovation simply didn’t serve their bottom line.

“Campbell is right to respond to their customers rather than activists" who tell consumers that eating too much sodium is harmful to health, said Salt Institute president Lori Roman. She added that the company’s lagging sales should be a “cautionary tale" for companies that want to cut sodium in their products.

While I am not privy to how committed CPG companies are to reformulating, I do know if there isn’t a market for lower sodium products, the party will continue. Advocacy groups, nutrition experts, even consumers demanding change is one thing … but if they don’t support product reformulations with behavior—that is, by actually buying—it’s all over.

For years, Americans were lectured about the link between high sodium and heart disease. A few weeks ago, a European study was released that concluded the opposite … that a diet low in sodium contributed to heart disease. While the study has been deemed “flawed" by multiple experts, it got a lot of press. No wonder people are so cynical!

Either way, we have the classic chicken-or-the-egg argument. Packaged foods have been so sodium-laden for so long that people believe it is how their food should taste. When food is prepared with less salt, people complain it’s bland. CPG companies have essentially “hooked" people on the taste and now use “people want flavor" as a reason to keep it going. Looking at a bottom line, backtracking is nearly impossible (read the analyst reaction to Campbell’s announcement—practically euphoric).

I understand Campbell’s reasoning. But I also think an iconic brand like Campbell’s has missed a real leadership opportunity in consumer education.

What if instead of delivering a massive dose of sodium to all, they could have added sodium education to their buyer on the label: “Add ¼ tsp salt if you like your soup more salty. The maximum recommended level of sodium intake is 2,300 mg per day. .... 1/4 tsp. salt = 500 mg sodium; 1/2 tsp. salt = 1,000 mg sodium, etc.

If you search “Campbell’s + sodium" all sorts of unsavory results pop up. One is that Campbell’s is in litigation for playing loose and free with FDA labeling guidelines on sodium claims for their tomato soup. If I were a competitor, linking Campbell’s to high sodium might be a considered move …