Essay About Food Industry And Campbell Soup Co

Campbell Soup Co’s Turnaround Strategy
Introduction
The processed and packaged food industry is facing a rising demand mainly because their short
preparation time and easiness of consumption are appealing to consumers.
During the recent recession sales of packaged food have decelerated without never touching
negative ground, and now, with the recovering of the economy and unemployment slowly
dropping, consumers are spending more on food with strong emphasis on health and premium
positioned products.
The market of processed and packaged food is a very mature market with a large number of
suppliers varying from powerful multinational enterprises to small and sometimes highly
differentiated producers that battle for consumer’s dollars and try to envision what will the tastes
and preferences be of tomorrow’s consumer.
Campbell Soup Company
Campbell Soup Company (Campbell) has a long history going back to 1869, when it was founded
by Joseph Campbell and Abraham Anderson in Camden, New Jersey.
It started by manufacturing canned tomatoes, vegetables, jellies, soups, condiments and minced
meats but by the end of the 19th century it revolutionized the canned soup business with the
invention of condensed soup.1
Throughout the 20th century, Campbell Soup Company has remained the market leader in the
canned soup business having diversified through the introduction of new products and growing
not only by increased sales of canned soup but also by strategic acquisitions to penetrate new
market segments. Its inorganically growth over the years consisted in the acquisition of Franco-
American gravies and pastas (acquired in 1915), V8 vegetable juices (1984), Swanson broths
(1955), Pepperidge Farm breads, cookies, and crackers (1961), Godiva Chocolates (1966), Vlasic
Foods (1978) and many others being the latest additions Bolthouse Farms (2012), Plum Organics
(2012), Kelsen Group (2012) and Garden Fresh Gourmet (2015).2
Under the leadership of President and CEO Denise Morrison, Campbell is under a major
restructuring process