Campbell's: what canned soup brings besides the soup

In a crossover trial in 75 adults at Harvard, a serving of canned soup every day for 5 days raised urinary BPA by 22.5 micrograms per liter over a week of fresh soup (95% CI 19.6 to 25.5), a 1221 percent increase. That was one unnamed brand, measured as exposure with no health outcome. The rise was temporary, and can linings may have changed since that 2011 trial. No study we found tested Campbell's soups by name. Salt is the number on the can. USDA lists Campbell's condensed tomato soup at 377 mg sodium per 3.5 oz (100 g), and three condensed Campbell's soups run from 377 to 697 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g) before any water goes in, figures from 2018 that the recipes may since have moved away from. A US label may say low sodium only when a serving holds 140 mg or less. Cutting salt in a soup-and-lunch routine does move blood pressure. In a double-blind trial in 187 Japanese men not on blood pressure drugs, a boxed lunch and miso soup with 1175 mg sodium a day lowered systolic pressure by 2.1 mmHg more than versions with 2243 mg (95% CI 0.6 to 3.6). Those were Japanese products, a long way from American canned soup.

How much is actually in it

• USDA lists Campbell's condensed tomato soup at 377 mg sodium per 3.5 oz (100 g), and three condensed Campbell's soups range from 377 to 697 mg before water is added. — - (n = -) Evidence E source
  Sodium 377 mg/100 g condensed tomato (16% DV), range 377-697 mg across chicken noodle, cream of mushroom and tomato condensed; potassium 44-562 mg

What a real portion looks like

• No study we found tested Campbell's soups by name for health effects, and US survey portion data have no Campbell's entry. — - (n = -) Evidence E source
  FNDDS 0 by brand name; CoFID 0; USDA R6 0; corpus search by the brand name failed on the apostrophe and returned 0 for Campbell

What your body absorbs

• In 12 volunteers, a smooth soup kept people fuller than the same meal eaten solid, but raised blood glucose the most. — 12 volunteers tested on three occasions: solid meal, chunky soup, smooth soup (n = 12) Evidence B source
  Glycemic response 87.0 +/- 49.5 smooth soup vs 65.4 +/- 48.0 chunky vs 61.6 +/- 663 mg/dL (36.8 mmol/l)/min solid (P = 0.040); fuller after smooth soup (P = 0.034)

What cooking and storage change

• In a crossover trial in 75 adults, one 12-ounce serving of canned soup daily for 5 days raised urinary BPA by 22.5 mcg/L over fresh soup, a 1221% increase. — 75 of 84 Harvard student and staff volunteers, median age 27, 68% female, 5 days canned vs 5 days fresh vegetable soup (n = 75) Evidence B source
  +22.5 mcg/L urinary BPA (95% CI 19.6-25.5), geometric mean 20.8 vs 1.1 mcg/L, a 1221% increase (P < .001)
• In a lab trial in 60 normal-weight adults, eating a low-energy vegetable soup before lunch cut total meal energy by 20%, about 134 calories, whether the soup was chunky or pureed. — 60 normal-weight men and women, lunch once a week for 5 weeks, four soup forms or no preload (n = 60) Evidence B source
  Meal energy intake -20% (134 +/- 25 calories) with soup vs no soup; soup form had no significant effect

What it does to your health

• In a double-blind trial in 187 Japanese men, swapping lunch and miso soup for lower-sodium versions lowered systolic pressure by 2.1 mmHg more than regular versions. — 187 Japanese men aged 35-67 not on antihypertensives, boxed lunch and miso soup, 1175 vs 2243 mg sodium per day in the meal (n = 187) Evidence B source
  Systolic blood pressure difference -2.1 mmHg (95% CI -3.6, -0.6)

Safety, limits and interactions

• Observational US survey data link eating canned soup in the past day with 229% higher urinary BPA among 7,669 people aged 6 and over. — 7,669 NHANES 2003-2008 participants aged 6 years and older with 24-h recall and urinary BPA (n = 7669) Evidence C source
  Canned soup vs none: 229% higher urinary BPA (95% CI 1.22, 4.30 as ratio); any one canned food: 24% higher

What people believe that the data does not support

• Under US labeling rules a soup can be called low sodium only if a serving holds 140 mg sodium or less. — - (n = -) Evidence E source
  Low sodium threshold 140 mg per reference amount for foods with reference amount over 30 g
• The only sodium health claim FDA allows on a label is that diets low in sodium may reduce the risk of high blood pressure. — - (n = -) Evidence E source
  Authorized model claim under 21 CFR 101.74

Who this works differently for

• NIH advises people with kidney disease or on certain medicines to check with a clinician before using potassium chloride salt substitutes, because of the risk of high blood potassium. — People with kidney disease or taking certain medications (n = -) Evidence E source
  Salt substitutes carry about 440 to 2,800 mg potassium per teaspoon

The bottom line

A bowl of soup before a meal can make the meal smaller. In a lab trial in 60 normal-weight adults, a low-energy vegetable soup before lunch cut total meal energy by 20 percent, about 134 calories, whether the soup was chunky or pureed. That was single lunches in a laboratory, with a light vegetable soup, and a creamy condensed soup is a different food. Texture matters for blood sugar. In 12 volunteers, a smooth soup kept people fuller than the same meal eaten solid, and it also gave the highest glucose response, 87.0 against 1,110 mg/dL (61.6 mmol/l)/min for the solid meal, in dishes of identical make-up rather than store soups. Observational US survey data from 7,669 people aged 6 and over link eating canned soup the day before with higher urinary BPA, a ratio with a confidence interval of 1.22 to 4.30, based on one day of recall in 2003 to 2008. If you have kidney disease or take certain medicines, NIH advises asking your clinician before using potassium chloride salt substitutes. Whether a given reduced-sodium soup uses one is on its ingredient list, and we have not checked any Campbell's product. FDA allows one sodium health claim on a label, that diets low in sodium may reduce the risk of high blood pressure.

Sources

1. cmpb-dr2-07 · dataset
   CAMPBELL'S, Tomato Soup, condensed (FDC 174547, SR Legacy, Soups, Sauces, and Gravies): sodium 377 mg per 100 g = 16% DV, across 3 records 377-697; potassium 562 mg = 12% DV, across 3 records 44-562
   USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy 2018, FDC 174547 and two other CAMPBELL'S condensed soups · checked 2026-10-02
2. cmpb-dr2-10 · register
   campbell's | Campbell: FNDDS 0 · CoFID 0 · retention R6 0 (FDC does not know the food) · 21 CFR 0 · EU register 0 · interactions 0
   Bioma corpus search 2026-10-02 (PubMed snapshot pubmed:469385), USDA FNDDS 2024-10-31, USDA R6 2007, CoFID 2021 · checked 2026-10-02
3. cmpb-dr2-04 · RCT
   The smooth soup had the greatest GR (87.0 ± 49.5 mmol/l/min), followed by the chunky soup (65.4 ± 48.0 mmol/l/min), with the solid meal having the lowest GR (61.6 ± 36.8 mmol/l/min). Volunteers were fuller after the smooth soup compared with solid meal (P=0.034).
   Eur J Clin Nutr, 2013 · checked 2026-10-02
4. cmpb-dr2-01 · RCT
   Following canned soup consumption, SG-adjusted urinary BPA concentrations were, on average, 22.5 μg/L higher (95% CI, 19.6–25.5 μg/L) than those measured after a week of fresh soup consumption (P<.001), representing a 1221% increase.
   JAMA, 2011 · checked 2026-10-02
5. cmpb-dr2-03 · RCT
   When soup was consumed, subjects reduced meal energy intake by 20% (134+/-25 kcal; 561+/-105 kJ). The type of soup had no significant effect on test meal intake or total meal energy intake.
   Appetite, 2007 · checked 2026-10-02
6. cmpb-dr2-05 · RCT
   The mean difference in systolic blood pressure change after adjustment for baseline values between the two groups was -2.1 (95% CI: -3.6, -0.6) mmHg.
   Nutrients, 2021 · checked 2026-10-02
7. cmpb-dr2-02 · cross-sectional
   The consumption of one or more of some specific types of canned foods vs. none were associated with higher urinary BPA concentrations: 41% (95% CI 1.23, 1.63) higher BPA for vegetable and fruit, 70% (95% CI 1.18, 2.44) higher for canned pasta, and 229% (95% CI 1.22, 4.30) higher for canned soup.
   Environ Res, 2016 · checked 2026-10-02
8. cmpb-dr2-08 · regulation
   (i)(A) The food has a reference amount customarily consumed greater than 30 g or greater than 2 tablespoons and contains 140 mg or less sodium per reference amount customarily consumed; or
   21 CFR 101.61, Nutrient content claims for the sodium content of foods · checked 2026-10-02
9. cmpb-dr2-09 · regulation
   (1) Diets low in sodium may reduce the risk of high blood pressure, a disease associated with many factors.
   21 CFR 101.74, Health claims: sodium and hypertension · checked 2026-10-02
10. cmpb-dr2-06 · fact sheet
    Some people, such as those with kidney disease or who are taking certain medications, should consult their health care provider before taking salt substitutes because of the risk of hyperkalemia posed by the high levels of potassium in these products.
    NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Potassium Health Professional Fact Sheet · checked 2026-10-02