Campbell Soup Co. closing two U.S. plants

I just saw this on the news. Please close if already posted.

NEW YORK (AP) - Campbell Soup Co. is closing two U.S. plants and cutting more than 700 jobs as it looks to trim costs amid declining consumption of its canned soups.

money.msn.com...


So two more U.S. production plants bite the dust and about 700 more full time workers in the unemployment line.
I feel sorry for those and their families. I personally find this one hard to understand. Wth? I love Campbell's
soup and I thought most people did. I eat it all time. It's inexpensive(for the most part), healthy, and tastes great.

It appears people would rather run out on their lunch for the greasy burger and fries anymore, than take a can of soup to the office. I suppose parents buying it for children has also really declined.

Oh well, I guess nobody wants to eat healthy anymore, especially here in the U.S. I clearly see that everytime I go out to eat and in peoples carts in the grocery store.(mounded over with ice cream, chips, cupcakes, etc...
It's no wonder America is the fatest country in the world with such a high obesity rate.

Share any thoughts you have.

All they have to do is improve the quality of their soups to compete with brands like Progresso.

Sad.

reply to post by will615

It appears people would rather run out on their lunch for the greasy burger and fries anymore, than take a can of soup to the office.

or...

Over the past decade, overall canned soup consumption is down 13 percent, according to the research firm Euromonitor International, as fresh soups have become more widely available at supermarkets and restaurants

Originally posted by rtyfx
All they have to do is improve the quality of their soups to compete with brands like Progresso.

Sad.

I've tried a few of Progresso's in the past and didn't think they tasted as good, but to each their own.

reply to post by will615

I used Progresso as an example because they use more vegetables and meat in their products than Campbell's does.

reply to post by rtyfx


Their 100 Natural line of soups is really quite tasty. Especially the Chicken Tortilla. Splash some Sriracha sauce in there to spice it up a bit.

But, they are 3.00/can, so probably not a huge volume seller like their condensed chicken noodle.

I hate to say it, but Campbell's shot themselves in the foot. Like many other company's they chased new business without keeping their arms around the core customer base. If they had simply stuck to the formula and maintained a smaller selection of classic products this wouldn't have happened. Chicken Noodle, Tomato, Cream of Mushroom etc., just the basics, in classic Andy Warhol endorsed packages.
Instead they created 100 different items, in a dozen new lines and put up 8 feet of gravity fed displays in every supermarket. All that overhead led to higher prices on the basics, to fund "super deluxe" product lines nobody wanted.
I could easily list dozens of company's who have made the EXACT same mistake, which makes it even more ridiculous.

reply to post by rtyfx




I wonder how much those Ramen soup have put the hurting on them? They're everywhere and cheap. I avoid them though.

Originally posted by will615

Originally posted by rtyfx
All they have to do is improve the quality of their soups to compete with brands like Progresso.

Sad.

I've tried a few of Progresso's in the past and didn't think they tasted as good, but to each their own.

Most Campbells these days I have to add salt ... since they have done the whole BS low sodium thing. I make my own now and either can or freeze it.. better and cheaper. Waaaay back in the day Campbells was good stuff. Now its bland.

reply to post by will615


Taste like salty vomit in a can.

There are too many competitors for them now, which they used to dominate the market. And since they dominated the market they fell behind in quality. They tried reinventing themselves, but because they fell so far behind anything and everything they do is viewed as "copying."

Adios Campbell. I'm sure they will open a plant in Mexico soon.

Campbell soup co. used an obsolete business model and the competition ate them alive.

I'm Olaru12 and I'm addicted to pain killers, cheap wine and corny metaphors.

Originally posted by Zarniwoop
reply to post by will615

 

It appears people would rather run out on their lunch for the greasy burger and fries anymore, than take a can of soup to the office.

or...

Over the past decade, overall canned soup consumption is down 13 percent, according to the research firm Euromonitor International, as fresh soups have become more widely available at supermarkets and restaurants

Yes, but c'mon we all see the fast food joints slammed all the time with people waiting for that 1000 calorie meal.
See, people just need to stuff themselves silly at feeding time anymore and well...a can of soup just doesn't cut it for 'em.
As for the fresh soups at the restaurants and markets, like I said I don't see people going for it. Instead their after that half pound of chickenfingers and potatoe wedges at the market, and that loaded 1 1/2 burger or huge rack of ribs at the restaurant.

Originally posted by Rockpuck
reply to post by will615

 

Taste like salty vomit in a can.

There are too many competitors for them now, which they used to dominate the market. And since they dominated the market they fell behind in quality. They tried reinventing themselves, but because they fell so far behind anything and everything they do is viewed as "copying."

Adios Campbell. I'm sure they will open a plant in Mexico soon.

Like I posted above, to each their own. I personally think their 'Chunky' line is awesome. And i'm sure your right about the Mexico plant, probably right next to the GM plant.

reply to post by will615

Yes, but c'mon we all see the fast food joints slammed all the time with people waiting for that 1000 calorie meal.

Agreed. But I don't know that those people would want canned soup otherwise if they didn't go to Mickey D's.

I think canned soup is somewhere in the middle between healthy eating and fast food, rather than an alternative to eating fast food.

reply to post by Zarniwoop

I think soup and a sandwich is much healthier than McD's.

reply to post by rtyfx

I think soup and a sandwich is much healthier than McD's.

Depends on the sandwich I suppose, but I agree.

However, my point was not about soup being healthier than fast food. Rather that I don't think fast food consumption is the reason for the decline in soup consumption. Canned soup is healthier than most fast food, but not something you pick as an alternative if you want to eat healthy. Way too much sodium.

reply to post by Zarniwoop

Bah. I grew up in the 60's and 70's. Soup and a sandwich was what all kids had for lunch. It did us no harm. Campbell's was the big brand then. We had McD's once in a while as a treat instead of all the time like people have it now.

We only have to look at the past to see that some things weren't necessarily that bad.

We ingested tons of sodium, clouds of cigarette smoke. Our parents let us have beer and wine. None of it killed us.

Good memories. Better than the memories I'm making now.

Why would any person willingly want to eat something in a can?
Daily dose of BPA?

They say the BPA is worse in tin can than say plastic bottles.

reply to post by rtyfx


That's all good and fine, but...

A release issued by Campbell's on Thursday stated the following reasons for the closure:

"A number of factors have resulted in excess capacity in Campbell's U.S. thermal manufacturing network, including significant productivity improvements, volume declines of U.S. canned soup and an increased focus on new packaging formats which are often produced under co-manufacturing agreements. As a result, the company is taking the following actions:

Source

If there were any statistical data to throw fast food under the bus for the Cambell's plant closures, the President would certainly have done so.

I get where you are coming from based on your personal experiences, but I don't see anything to back up the claim beyond that.

reply to post by Zarniwoop

Makes sense.

Tomato, thick with crackers, on a cold rainy day.

Ah, childhood.