Soup's on; sides, too

Prepared Foods, March, 2005 by William A. Roberts

* Healthful in the soup segment

* Siding with convenience

* Both segments add ethnic flavors

As many parents can attest, a hot bowl of soup has an abundance of healthful attributes, whether helping to battle a common cold or simply trying to warm up after a spell outside in the cold. However, researchers at Pennsylvania State University (State College, Pa.) managed to unearth a new aspect of soup's benefits, one that could be quite beneficial amid the obesity epidemic.

When incorporated into the diet, "low-energy-dense" foods (defined as water-rich, and with fewer calories per gram) such as soups, vegetables and fruits were found to be key to calorie reduction and successful longer-term weight loss. In the one-year study, subjects added two servings of soup a day as part of a reduced-calorie diet, and lost an average of five pounds more than subjects who consumed two servings of calorie-matched, higher-energy-dense snacks.

All of which must have come as great news at Campbell Soup (Camden, N.J.), the 2004 winner of the Spirit of Innovation Awards for its foodservice line of V8 soups, entrees and chilis. Setting those items apart were a pair of inventive attributes.

First, they were designed for health-conscious consumers, and each product provides eight essential vitamins and minerals. At the same time, the Away from Home line included such trendy, upscale ingredients as Portobello mushrooms and yellow curry, while remaining either vegan or, at the least, vegetarian.

Second, Campbell brought a powerful brand from a completely different category to accentuate that vegetarian aspect. V8, long a staple in beverages, helped to communicate the healthful aspects of the line.

On the retail side, Campbell's most-notable healthful efforts mirrored those of the rest of the industry--dropping carbohydrate levels. For its part, Campbell introduced the Carb Request line of hearty soups in such varieties as spicy sausage with chicken and bell pepper trio; roasted chicken and penne with garden vegetables; Mediterranean-style meatball; savory beef and mushroom medley; and chicken broccoli cheese. None of the products had more than 5g of net carbs per serving.

However, as readers probably know all too well, 2004 was not a good year to be a carb. The soup category saw reduced-carbohydrate introductions from all of the major players. General Mills' (Minneapolis) Progresso brand may not have cut carbs to quite the same level as Campbell, but it was not for a lack of trying. Progresso's Carb Monitor range of soups each had 5g to 7g of net carbs per serving, in such flavors as chicken vegetable, beef vegetable, roasted turkey vegetable, Tuscan-style meatball and chicken cheese (enchilada style).

Finding Flavor

Those latter two varieties serve as examples of another major trend impacting soups in 2004. Companies devoted increased attention to ethnic flavors. In addition to its Carb Monitor entries, Progresso's Ready-To-Serve Soups line added traditional Italian-style wedding. Although, to be fair, the line also launched such soup staples as Rich & Hearty New England Clam Chowder and Rich & Hearty Steak and Homestyle Noodles.

Still, introductions did benefit from a variety of ethnic influences. In Campbell's Select Soup line, for example, the Mexican-style chicken tortilla included "mildly spicy tomato broth" with chicken, vegetables and rice, boasting such flavorful ingredients as red peppers, green chili peppers, cilantro and dried chipotle chili pepper.

However, additional new ethnic-inspired flavors were not uniquely American: Latin, South or otherwise. In fact, Lipton Cup-a-Soup (Unilever Bestfoods, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.), as part of its "great new taste!" revamp, added a distinctly Asian flare. Asian beef noodle and spicy Thai chicken joined the line, offering flavors from such sources as cilantro red bell peppers and, oddly enough, jalapeno peppers.

Lipton did not stick solely outside the U.S. for inspiration for its revamped line of Cup-a-Soup. Tomato with croutons, spring vegetable, cream of chicken, chicken noodle and broccoli cheese were among the familiar flavors on offer. Even with its range of side dishes, Lipton balanced the adventurously flavorful with the tried-and-true.

Stand Up

Admittedly familiar to certain areas of the country, Lipton's Cajun Sides line of rice offered two varieties that some locales may regard as distinct. New Orleans style chicken and garlic butter joined Lipton's Louisiana-influenced line, both promising "mild Cajun spices."

The Cajun-influenced offering followed upon Lipton's successful Asian-flavored sides launched last year and was joined by a range of Fiesta Sides. This line of flavored rice included such varieties as smoked chipotle, taco and nacho pasta. The smoked chipotle included peppers as well as a mesquite smoked flavor and also boasted a mix of rice and orzo pasta. The taco rice, meanwhile, is another rice and pasta blend with cheese in a taco-flavored sauce.

Each of those Lipton introductions followed upon the lead of a 2003 packaging innovation which saw Uncle Ben's (Masterfoods USA, Hackettstown, N.J.) introduce ready-to-heat rice that could be microwaved in its own packaging. Another company well-known for its flavored rice dishes, Zatarain's (Gretna, La.), took a cue from these two and introduced New Orleans Style ready-to-serve rice dishes in such flavors as jambalaya rice, red beans & rice, chicken & herb rice, long grain wild rice and yellow rice.