The New York City soup stall which inspired Jerry Seinfeld’s ‘Soup Nazi’ has reopened its doors, with its strict rules about ordering soup firmly in place. Al Yeganeh, the famously touchy ‘Original Soup Man’, ran a soup stall on 55th Street in Manhattan for 20 years, requiring patrons to “Pick the soup you want. Have your money ready. Move to the extreme left after ordering,” or risk getting the short end of Yeganeh’s temper. Seinfeld’s “No... ...Read more »

Campbell Soup Co. has said it sees opportunities for M&A to add to its “meal makers” business as the US food group looks to ramp up growth in emerging markets.Speaking at a meeting with investors on Monday (12 July), Larry McWilliams, president of Campbell’s international business, said the meal makers sector, which includes stocks and sauces, is a “large but fragmented” category and that the firm plans to focus more on this part of its portfolio. “We see many... ...Read more »

Campbell Soup Company will begin shipping 21 lines of reduced-sodium soup this month, with salt levels reduced between 25% and 45% on previous levels. The 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. Campbells... ...Read more »

A generous delivery of 82,000 kilograms of Campbell’s soup will provide a tasty and nutritious meal for over half a million of hungry Australians who need food assistance this coming winter.Campbell Arnott’s has donated the cans of soup to Foodbank, Australia’s largest hunger relief organisation. Foodbank feeds more than 60,000 people every day by acting as a conduit between major food and grocery manufacturers and retailers and 2,200 welfare agencies across the country. The significant... ...Read more »

Campbell Soup Company today announced four sustainability and corporate citizenship goals, including goals to reduce childhood obesity and water consumption. The company described these and other plans in its 2010 corporate social responsibility report. The report, Nourishing: Consumers Neighbors Employees Planet, describes Campbell’s strategies, policies and programs that will help drive the company toward four comprehensive goals by 2020. “For Campbell, conducting business in a socially... ...Read more »

Campbell Soup Co. plans to use promotions to revive sales of its ready-to-serve soups in the US after a quarter in which sales of the products slid 18%.The fall in ready-to-serve soup sales, particularly Campbell’s Chunky range, weighed on the company’s domestic soup revenues, which fell 8% during the three months to the end of January. The company said it had managed to increase sales of condensed soup and broths on a volume basis but admitted a lack of promotional activity had held... ...Read more »

Campbell Soup Co. today (17 February) trimmed its forecast for annual sales and outlined plans to take its US soup business forward.Ahead of its presentation at the CAGNY consumer goods conference in Florida today, Campbell said it was still expecting growth of 6 to 7% and adjusted net earnings per share growth of 9 to 11% from the fiscal 2009 adjusted base of $2.21. However, the company revised its fiscal 2010 guidance for sales growth to 2.5 to 3.5% from the prior range of 4 to 5%. Regarding its... ...Read more »

Baxters Food Group, the UK soup maker, is planning to use Australia as a manufacturing base for its chutneys business to push the products into new markets in Asia. The company, which snapped up Australian vegetables-to-pesto firm Sole Mio last year, wants to use its production facility in the market to launch its “side-of-plate” products in the country – and further afield in the region. Baxters has launched a series of products, including chutneys and relishes, in the UK over... ...Read more »

Campbell Soup Co. announced yesterday (14 December) that it will cut the sodium content of its SpaghettiOs canned pastas by up to 35%. It is the second time that the US food group has cut sodium in SpaghettiOs in two years and the company said it had brought its SpaghettiOs varieties in line with US government criteria for healthy main dishes – controlled for fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium and containing a significant level of at least two positive nutrients. The product will begin... ...Read more »

Campbell Soup Company is confident about its soup operations as they still see grocery shoppers looking for cost-effective meal solutions. Soup sales were not particularly strong in the first quarter, but have improved since then, Campbell Soup CFO Craig Owens advised at a recent investor meeting in New York. “We are getting into the serious part of the soup season,” he said, according to Reuters. “I am hoping for ‘good cold weather’ in January and February.” The... ...Read more »