Consumers Have a Love-Hate Relationship with Soup
71% of consumers agree that packaged soup has too much sodium, yet the category continues to expand thanks to innovation.
Soup season is just around the corner as temperatures begin to drop. Food Business News highlights that “Americans have a love-hate relationship with soup […] they’re adverse to the processed nature and sodium content of many soups.”1 In fact, according to a recent 2019 Mintel survey, 71% of consumers agree that packaged soup has too much sodium.1
However, the soup category is steadily expanding globally.2 Consumers are increasingly reaching for the more innovative soup products entering the market, such as plant-powered vegan soups, convenient and portable packages, and soups made with organic ingredients, and “heart-healthy” soups.2 Other growing trends that food manufacturers are capitalizing on include internationally inspired recipes and protein-rich offerings.1
These trends indicate a bright future for soup products that are adapting to consumers’ changing tastes and heightened nutrition expectations. According to Innova Market Insights, food companies are listening and are ready to keep up. Knowing that the majority of consumers are aware of the high levels of sodium in their soups, nearly 1,000 new soup products have entered the market last year with potassium chloride on ingredient lists.3
Potassium chloride, a common salt substitute, may help to enable sodium reduction and may boost potassium in foods. Considering soup is well-known for being on a list of some of the saltiest foods you can eat4, potassium chloride may help to serve as a great solution to assist food manufacturers in lowering the sodium levels of their soup products.
To learn more about Cargill’s expansive potassium chloride and sodium reduction portfolio, visit https://www.cargill.com/food-beverage/na/sodium_reduction.
Sources
- https://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/14431-slideshow-soup-innovations-target-consumer-trends
- Innova Market Insights Category Review: Soup, H2 2018 – July 2019
- Innova Market Insights
- https://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/6-saltiest-foods-eating-article-1.1239854