Campbell Canada serves-up seven years of sodium reductions and is hungry for
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Iconic Tomato soup will be reduced an additional 25 per cent - nearly a 50 per cent reduction since 2003

TORONTO, Feb. 18 /CNW/ - With a seven year history of proactively reducing sodium in its products, Campbell Company of Canada remains committed to playing a leadership role in sodium reduction and education. In fact, by the end of the year Campbell plans to reduce sodium in its iconic Tomato soup by an additional 25 per cent to a level of 480 mg per 250 mL serving- this will mean a nearly 50 per cent reduction over seven years.

"Campbell Canada has invested time and resources into lowering the sodium in our products. It is a challenging, but important journey that continues because we are committed to making a healthier choice, an easier choice for Canadians," said Philip Donne, president, Campbell Company of Canada. "Campbell Canada is proof that food companies can make real and positive changes to their products and still deliver great taste, nutrition, convenience and affordability to Canadian families. We will keep leading the way because it's simply the right thing to do."

Campbell Canada's research and development team has already been successful in lowering sodium levels in more than 100 of its existing recipes. Since 2003, Campbell Canada has reduced the amount of sodium in the majority of its soups, removing the equivalent of more than 30 million teaspoons of salt. One technique used to maintain taste while reducing sodium is to increase vegetable content. Product developers are currently testing increasing the number of tomatoes that go into every can of Tomato soup as a way to build a richer tomato flavour while achieving a 25 per cent sodium reduction and maintaining the taste people expect from Campbell.

Beyond recipe changes for existing products, Campbell is also committed to developing new products with less sodium. Since 2007, all new retail soups from Campbell have been made with sodium levels of 480 mg per serving or less. For example, the company's latest innovation Campbell's(R) Créations are exceptional tasting soups made from inspired-by-homemade recipes with no artificial flavours or colours and 480 mg of sodium per serving.

One of the first in the food industry to proactively reduce sodium in its products, the company's global reduction effort dates back decades. In 2003, Campbell Canada asked its employees, "Do you eat our products at home?" When employees responded that they had concerns about the amount of sodium in the soups, Campbell Canada was further motivated to take the step of reducing sodium by 10 per cent in many of its most popular soups. Campbell is now recognized by experts for its sodium reduction leadership efforts. In fact, the company is the only food manufacturer to be recognized by Blood Pressure Canada with an Award of Excellence.

"While other countries and companies around the world significantly lag behind in their efforts to reduce dietary sodium, Campbell Canada is well ahead of the curve," said Dr. Norm Campbell, from Blood Pressure Canada. "I commend Campbell for their efforts and encourage them to challenge their friends in the industry to get on board and work together to make an even greater difference to Canadians' health."

"The reduction of sodium in Canada's food supply is complex. There is currently no replacement for salt and Canadians have developed a taste for savoury foods. Over the last seven years Campbell has gradually reduced sodium in our products to help people adjust to the taste of healthier sodium levels so they can better maintain a sodium-reduced diet over the long-term," said Andrea Dunn, nutrition strategy manager, Campbell Canada. "This approach is important because if people aren't eating the soup or, alternatively, if they're turning to a salt shaker then we haven't achieved our goal of helping them get to a healthier place."

Despite the challenges associated with encouraging Canadians to adjust their diets, Campbell Canada is committed to continued sodium reduction efforts in addition to the significant work the company has achieved to date. Dunn adds, "People seem to be embracing our efforts to help them reduce their sodium intake while at the same time enjoying wholesome, convenient foods."

As part of the company's commitment to providing healthy and affordable foods and simple meals, Campbell Canada has also made sodium reduction efforts in these areas:

    
    -   Campbell's(R) Healthy Request(R) soups have been reduced to 480 mg or
        less (per 250 mL) and are made with ingredients like whole grain
        pasta or brown rice
    -   Five Chunky(R) soups have 25 per cent less sodium (compared to
        previous recipe), with all the hearty nourishment you expect from
        Chunky(R)
    -   Campbell now has more than 80 products at or below 480 mg of sodium
        per serving, including more than 30 varieties of soup
    -   Canadians can expect to see continued sodium reduction across the
        company's portfolio in the coming years

    About Campbell Company of Canada
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With a focus on simple, healthy foods and meals that are lower in sodium, deliver more vegetables and whole grains, and no artificial colours or flavours, Campbell Company of Canada is committed to providing extraordinary, authentic nourishment for all. The company is leading the industry in sodium reduction - removing the equivalent of more than 30 million teaspoons of salt from its soups. With a soup plant located in Toronto, ON, Campbell Canada is a subsidiary of Campbell Soup Company, based in Camden, New Jersey. For more information on brands such as the iconic Campbell's (R) condensed soup, Chunky(R) soups and chilis, Gardennay(R) soups and V8(R) beverages, as well as products that carry the Health Check(TM) symbol, visit www.campbellsoup.ca.

For further information: Melanie Rockliff, Campbell Company of Canada, [phone] x8479, [email protected]; Lindy Frank, Weber Shandwick, [phone], [email protected]