Campbell Soup With 32 Percent Less Sodium
16 Mar 2009
Why would any company want to change a product that’s stood the test of time for 112 years? After all, in this fast moving world most products either change every few years or perish. But Campbell soup, first produced in 1897, has finally made a healthy change in its ingredients. Each serving will now have 32 percent less sodium which will help tame one of the big killers, hypertension.
High blood pressure is the leading cause of death in the world. It’s estimated that 25 percent of North Americans have hypertension and five million Canadians suffer from it. But this disease is a silent killer as you’re unable to see or feel its presence.
Sir William Osler, Professor of Medicine at McGill, John Hopkins and Oxford Universities said you were lucky if you’re born with good rubber. What he meant was inheriting arteries of good quality that did not become hardened by the passage of time.
Hard, inflexible, arteries places more pressure on the heart to pump blood to all parts of the body. This is why heart failure is now one of the leading causes of death in this country. Like a tired horse, the overworked heart finally fails.
One problem often leads to another. The constant pounding on organs such as the kidneys often results in kidney failure, blindness and amputation of the legs due to gangrene. Or, the first symptom may be death, from a massive stroke when an artery, like a tire that has too much pressure, ruptures.
None of us can choose our parents, but we can choose our lifestyle to decrease the risk of hypertension. Today, many people are on the way to high blood pressure due to smoking, excessive use of alcohol and a lack of exercise.
A major problem is the epidemic of obesity that often leads to diabetes and atherosclerosis (hardening of arteries). These fatty cholesterol deposits, in coronary arteries and other parts of the body, set the stage for hypertension and other chronic problems.
It’s been aptly said, we are what we eat, and get too little of some things and too much of others. For instance, calcium, potassium, and magnesium are important in the regulation of blood pressure, and most people are lacking in these minerals. But for years it’s been known that millions of people are getting to much salt, and it’s the sodium in salt, that does the harm. Denise Morrison, president of Campbell’s North American soup, says Campbell’s tomato soup is " One of our icons". She adds, that the company is now a ,"poster child of wellness". And, that after 112 years of using common garden salt, it’s now out the door and low sodium sea salt is the new ingredient.
Campbell Soup executives must have sat up many nights before they tinkered with such a proven product. Campbell’s tomato soup is one of the top 10 selling grocery items nationwide and used by 25 million consumers every day of the year. So the end result had to have the same flavour and 32 percent less salt. Denise Morrison says they have achieved this end with 480 milligram (mg) of salt in each serving.
This is a huge step in the right direction as each of us should attempt to decrease salt intake. This is particularly true for 10 to 15 percent of the population who are salt sensitive. We all need sodium in salt to help transmit nerve impulses, make muscles work and maintain the proper balance of body fluids. One teaspoon of salt (2,300 mg) a day is all we need, but most people consume three teaspoons. So a good start is to toss the salt shaker off the table.
77 percent of sodium comes from preserved meats, canned and frozen foods and commercial baked goods. So let’s hope that other processed food manufacturers will follow Campbell’s example and pitch out several pinches of sodium. It will help to attack the silent killer and save many lives.
Today while writing this column I’m also enjoying their reduced tomato soup. Tastes good.
