Campbell rethinks its recipe as consumer tastes change

Camden, New Jersey

FOOD companies tinker with the signature products in their portfolios at their own risk - and few products are as classic as Campbell's chicken noodle soup.

Now, Campbell Soup is altering its famous broth, with the new recipe appearing first in a limited-edition line in cans festooned with Chewbacca and other figures from the coming Star Wars film.

The new version of its chicken noodle soup contains 20 ingredients, most of which can be found in the average home kitchen, compared with 30 in its previous incarnation (sold last year in cans featuring the Avengers).

"We're closing the gap between the kitchen and our plants," said Denise M Morrison, chief executive of Campbell.

Under Ms Morrison's leadership, which began in 2011, Campbell has moved quickly to address changing trends in the marketplace for food and to try to stanch the gradual decline in unit sales, a measurement of the number of cans of soup s…