Snacking and convenience have been key drivers of the UK soup sector, more so than in other major European countries. Less formal eating occasions, the growth of the light lunch and grazing have all influenced new product developments (NPDs). Soups in plastic bottles, for example, allow users to help themselves to soups as they feel like it. Once opened, the remaining contents of these bottles last up to 5 days in the fridge. Microwaveable products also offer convenience. Over half the adults interviewed in the course of the exclusive consumer research commissioned for this report agreed soup is a good snack.

The retail market for soups grew by 9.9 percent at current prices between 1995 and 2000, with most of this growth due to fresh chilled soups, largely spearheaded by The New Covent Garden Soup Company. Retailers have also been quick to capitalise on the higher margins attracted by chilled soups. Suppliers of wet ambient soups have sought to communicate the quality proposition of fresh chilled soups with the launch of ambient soups in foil pouches, a style associated with freshness.

Home-made soups are an important factor in the soups market with trade estimates suggesting that as much as a third of overall soup consumed by households is accounted for by home-made soup. The consumer research undertaken for this report shows 30 percent of adults make their own soups during the year and 19 percent mostly consumed home-made instead of bought soups, with this latter figure being as high as 40 percent amongst those living in Scotland.

Introducing new flavours into the market has been another way in which suppliers have sought to create further sales growth. They have tried to de-seasonalise the market (almost two-thirds of sales occur between September and March) by encouraging the idea of soup as a summer product, with flavours designed to be served as chilled, such as gazpacho. While new flavours have made some in-road, the consumer research conducted for this report, as well as that by the trade, shows that a few traditional recipes, such as tomato, chicken, mushroom and vegetable, are the favourites and main flavours sold. Organic soup launches have become more common.

The seasonal nature of the soup market is reinforced by many consumers stocking soups, particularly canned products, for a ‘rainy day’. This shows the flexibility and convenience of soups, as does being able to use bought soups as a cooking ingredient at home. Almost a quarter of adults interviewed agreed that they sometimes use bought soups as a home cooking ingredient. Campbell’s have encouraged the use of its condensed soups range as an ingredient for cooking for many years.