Campbell's, Salt, and the Science of Good Taste

Campbell's announced this week that regardless of what dietitians and health management experts are telling us, Americans want their salt.

As a result they will be adding salt back into their Select Harvest soups.

The Salt Institute is very pleased, while lobby groups have accused the soup giant of sacrificing consumer health for profits. But the truth is that the less-salty soups weren't selling, mostly because people just don't like the way they taste.

Sodium reduction has become a big issue this year. Medical and scientific studies have linked high sodium intake to increased incidences of heart attack and stroke. At the same time salt - one of the basic human tastes - is one of the oldest and most popular food product chemicals, traditionally used for its preservative properties and it's flavor.

However, marketing foods as having less salt in them doesn't seem to be helping sales. In fact, according to food industry experts it could do just the opposite. Americans have been taught to like their food salty, and as a result don't buy foods that don't offer it.

Health industry experts argue that Campbell's should have kept working at it, searching for the perfect combination of salt replacers, herbs, and flavorings to bring in the buyers. This, however, is not a cheap avenue of exploration.

And while food manufacturing giants like Campbell's have taken a lot of criticism for their salty fare, smaller companies continue to offer foods loaded with sodium, fat and a host of "unhealthy" ingredients without garnering any attention.

Perhaps it's true that people should just learn to like their food with less salt in it, but to be fair, teaching us that lesson isn't really Campbell's job.