Campbell Hopes to Turn Around Sales With Largest New Soup Initiatives Ever.

In an effort to revive soggy sales, Campbell Soup Co. announced new product and packaging initiatives, designed to make its soups more convenient for consumers and reinvigorate its core soup business. Campbell, which has posted three straight quarters of disappointing earnings, hopes its new focus on its primary soup products will spur sales. The new initiatives include: ready to serve soups; easier to open packaging and new flavors for its condensed and Chunky line of soups.

In addition, Campbell also announced several new products, including: two new flavors for its Campbell's Red & White cooking soups: cream of chicken Dijon and tomato with roasted garlic and herbs. Campbell's classic soup, chicken noodle, will get 20 percent more meat per can and its tomato soup will be marketed with an emphasis on the link of cancer-fighting properties and other health benefits linked to tomatoes. All of the new varieties are expected to be available in stores beginning in late summer, with consumer marketing beginning in the fall.

Campbell also emphasized its intention to continue building on its new product development efforts; In the past year, Campbell introduced its Soup To Go microwavable, single-serve soups as well as three varieties of Campbell's Ready to Serve Tomato soups in 32-ounce resealable clear, plastic containers.

For the third fiscal quarter, which ended April 30, Campbell reported net earnings dropped to $139 million from $162 million a year earlier. Total sales decreased 6.6 percent, to $1.39 billion from $1.49 billion. Sales of Campbell's soups dropped 9 percent to $927 million in the quarter, and the earnings contribution from the company's soups and sauces division plunged 18 percent.