Read the Beforeitsnews.com story here. Advertise at Before It's News here.
Profile image
By Political Calculations (Reporter)
Contributor profile | More stories
Story Views
Now:
Last hour:
Last 24 hours:
Total:

The Price History of Campbell's Tomato Soup

% of readers think this story is Fact. Add your two cents.


Photo of cans of Campbell's Tomato Soup at Walmart on January 7, 2025 by Ironman on Unsplash - https://unsplash.com/photos/48xqAhxDpdU

There are very few long-running products with decades of history that are fundamentally the same as they were when they first introduced to the market. Campbell’s Tomato Soup is one of them, with a history that stretches back to the final years of the nineteenth century.

2025 marks the 128th year in which Americans can go to a grocery store and buy a can of Campbell’s condensed tomato soup. When the Campbell’s Company (NYSE: CPB) first produced the product, it was revolutionary. John Dorrance’s innovation of condensing soup, removing water while preserving the flavor, made it possible to produce, can, store, and ship much larger quantities of soup than ever before. Consumers only needed to pour the contents of the can into a pot on their stove and add water to transform it into their next meal.

Campbell’s Condensed Tomato Soup quickly became the most popular of the first soups the company produced and shipped to grocery stores across the entire United States by train and truck. Today, it is Campbell’s second-most popular soup, selling around 84 million cans a year and lagging only behind the company’s equally iconic Chicken Noodle Soup, which was introduced in the 1930s.

In 1898, consumers could buy a Number 1 (10.75 oz) size can of Campbell’s Condensed Tomato Soup for just 10 cents. Today, consumers can walk into a Walmart and buy the exact same size can of Campbell’s Condensed Tomato Soup for $1.26.

The consistency of Campbell’s Tomato Soup as a product over the 128 years it has been available for consumers to buy makes it an ideal product to follow to understand how inflation has affected the prices Americans pay at the grocery store. There’s no “shrinkflation” for marketers to hide the price increases that have taken place for the product over time.

Political Calculations has documented the typical price Americans have paid for a single iconic can of Campbell’s Condensed Tomato Soup in each month starting from January 1898 by going through more than twelve decades worth of archived newspapers and advertising circulars to identify the prices at which grocers have put them on sale. Today we’re updating that price history in our chart visualizing that history from January 1898 through January 2025.

For the latest in our coverage of Campbell’s Tomato Soup prices, follow this link!

Campbell's Condensed Tomato Soup Unit Price per Can, January 1898 - January 2025 (Linear Scale)

We find the prevailing average sale price for this food product over the past 12 months is $1.28 per can, which is 3.2% higher than what we found a year earlier. The rate at which the price of a can of Campbell’s Tomato Soup has been inflating in recent years has slowed, but has not stopped escalating.

The 2025 average price of a can of Campbell’s Tomato Soup is about 35% higher than the trailing 12 month average of $0.95 per can we recorded in January 2022.

During this time, we’ve seen discounted sales of Campbell’s Condensed Tomato Soup become both smaller and less frequent. Before March 2021, which marks Month 0 for when President Biden’s inflation was unleashed upon the U.S. economy, it was rare to see the regular sale price of a can of Campbell’s Condensed Tomato Soup above one dollar. In January 2025, the lowest price at which American consumers can expect to pay for a can when they find it is the $1.25 price at Food Lion grocery stores, which is discounted from a regular price of $1.58 per can.

Here’s the January 2025 update for our periodic sampling of Campbell’s Condensed Tomato Soup sale prices at 10 major U.S. grocery-selling retailers, where we’re indicated the change in price since our last update in October 2024:

Campbell’s Condensed Tomato Soup costs about 12.8 times more than the original price American grocery shoppers paid when Campbell’s began selling their just-invented condensed soup products in 1898. Because its price history now spans more than a full order of magnitude, showing the price history in logarithmic scale gives a better sense of how much and when inflation has affected the prices American consumers pay for a can of Campbell’s Condensed Tomato Soup.

Campbell's Condensed Tomato Soup Unit Price per Can, January 1898 - January 2025 (Logarithmic Scale)

The escalation of Campbell’s Condensed Tomato Soup since March 2021 is consistent with how food prices have generally changed over this time.

Previously on Political Calculations

Political Calculations’ analysis of Campbell’s Tomato Soup dates back to 2015! Along the way, we’ve filled in the gaps we had in the historic price data and have explored America’s second-most popular soup from a lot of different angles.

Image credit: Photo of cans of Campbell’s Tomato Soup at Walmart on January 7, 2025 by Iron Man on Unsplash.



Source: https://politicalcalculations.blogspot.com/2025/01/the-price-history-of-campbells-tomato.html


Before It’s News® is a community of individuals who report on what’s going on around them, from all around the world.

Anyone can join.
Anyone can contribute.
Anyone can become informed about their world.

"United We Stand" Click Here To Create Your Personal Citizen Journalist Account Today, Be Sure To Invite Your Friends.

Before It’s News® is a community of individuals who report on what’s going on around them, from all around the world. Anyone can join. Anyone can contribute. Anyone can become informed about their world. "United We Stand" Click Here To Create Your Personal Citizen Journalist Account Today, Be Sure To Invite Your Friends.


LION'S MANE PRODUCT


Try Our Lion’s Mane WHOLE MIND Nootropic Blend 60 Capsules


Mushrooms are having a moment. One fabulous fungus in particular, lion’s mane, may help improve memory, depression and anxiety symptoms. They are also an excellent source of nutrients that show promise as a therapy for dementia, and other neurodegenerative diseases. If you’re living with anxiety or depression, you may be curious about all the therapy options out there — including the natural ones.Our Lion’s Mane WHOLE MIND Nootropic Blend has been formulated to utilize the potency of Lion’s mane but also include the benefits of four other Highly Beneficial Mushrooms. Synergistically, they work together to Build your health through improving cognitive function and immunity regardless of your age. Our Nootropic not only improves your Cognitive Function and Activates your Immune System, but it benefits growth of Essential Gut Flora, further enhancing your Vitality.



Our Formula includes: Lion’s Mane Mushrooms which Increase Brain Power through nerve growth, lessen anxiety, reduce depression, and improve concentration. Its an excellent adaptogen, promotes sleep and improves immunity. Shiitake Mushrooms which Fight cancer cells and infectious disease, boost the immune system, promotes brain function, and serves as a source of B vitamins. Maitake Mushrooms which regulate blood sugar levels of diabetics, reduce hypertension and boosts the immune system. Reishi Mushrooms which Fight inflammation, liver disease, fatigue, tumor growth and cancer. They Improve skin disorders and soothes digestive problems, stomach ulcers and leaky gut syndrome. Chaga Mushrooms which have anti-aging effects, boost immune function, improve stamina and athletic performance, even act as a natural aphrodisiac, fighting diabetes and improving liver function. Try Our Lion’s Mane WHOLE MIND Nootropic Blend 60 Capsules Today. Be 100% Satisfied or Receive a Full Money Back Guarantee. Order Yours Today by Following This Link.


Report abuse

Comments

Your Comments
Question   Razz  Sad   Evil  Exclaim  Smile  Redface  Biggrin  Surprised  Eek   Confused   Cool  LOL   Mad   Twisted  Rolleyes   Wink  Idea  Arrow  Neutral  Cry   Mr. Green

MOST RECENT
Load more ...

SignUp

Login

Newsletter

Email this story
Email this story

If you really want to ban this commenter, please write down the reason:

If you really want to disable all recommended stories, click on OK button. After that, you will be redirect to your options page.