Chicken noodle, tomato and cream of mushroom aren’t going anywhere, but Campbell Soup Company plans to drop soup from its name, changing it to The Campbell’s Company.
“This subtle yet important change retains the company’s iconic name recognition, reputation and equity built over 155 years while better reflecting the full breadth of the company’s portfolio,” Campbell’s President and CEO Mark Clouse said.
The new name isn’t final yet. Campbell is waiting on a shareholder approval vote in November.
The name change wouldn’t be the company’s first. It started out in 1869 as Anderson & Campbell before becoming Campbell Soup Company in 1922. In the years since, Campbell Soup Company has acquired several other companies such as Pepperidge Farm and Snyder’s of Hanover, broadening its lineup of products to include things like Milano cookies, pretzels, Goldfish crackers and Prego pasta sauce. The rebrand will better reflect the range of products Campbell sells, according to the company.
Americans love their snacks. According to a 2023 National Library of Medicine publication, more than 90% of U.S. adults report eating one or more snacks on any given day. Around 46% of Americans eat three or more snacks each day, according to consumer behavior data analytics firm Circana.
“As consumer behaviors continue to evolve, it’s crucial for brands to innovate and differentiate themselves in the competitive snack market,” Sally Lyons Wyatt, global executive vice president and chief advisor of Consumer Goods & Foodservice Insights at Circana, said in a May statement.
Chris Foley, president of the Campbell snacks division, said the company “expect to continue to grow these advantaged core businesses.”
“We could not be better positioned for leading the ongoing growth and momentum in snacking,” he said in a Monday statement.
Campbell wouldn’t be the only food business to change its name to incorporate an expanded lineup of products. Dunkin’ shortened its name to remove Donuts in 2018. It was a change designed to reflect the emphasis on coffee and other drinks, in addition to sandwiches.
