2025
9
US Soup Market Report 2025
2025-01-24T12:02:19+00:00
REPD35E43E0_0BED_4946_96F5_39ECBD38A66A
3695
179015
[{"name":"Soup","url":"https:\/\/store.mintel.com\/industries\/food\/meals-meal-components\/soup"}]
Report
en_GB
After the disruption of the pandemic and spiking inflation, the soup category has settled back into its long-term pattern of slow growth. Minimal gains for the category as a whole,…
  1. /
  2. All Industries
  3. /
  4. Food
  5. /
  6. Meals and Meal Components
  7. /
  8. Soup
  9. /
  10. US Soup Market Report 2025

US Soup Market Report 2025

Reports - What's Included
  • Multiple Report Formats
  • Access to our Clients Portal
  • Interactive Databook
  • Custom Presentation Tool

After the disruption of the pandemic and spiking inflation, the soup category has settled back into its long-term pattern of slow growth. Minimal gains for the category as a whole, however, mask widely divergent trends at the segment level. Solid gains for dry soup, broth/stock and refrigerated/frozen soup are offsetting continued declines for traditional canned soups.

Slow growth for soup overall also masks the many opportunities for growth within the large and varied category. Soup can facilitate home cooking and cuisine exploration, inspire healthy eating in a variety of ways, extend into new seasons, and of course fulfill its traditional role as comfort food. There’s also an opportunity for brands that can overcome the general perception that soup is too processed by moving a little closer to the standard of homemade.

This report looks at the following areas:

  • Types of soup purchased
  • When and how soup is consumed
  • Factors important to soup purchase
  • Attributes associated with different types of soup
  • Interest in soup concepts
  • Attitudes toward soup

While growth has slowed, the large and diverse soup category offers opportunities for brands that emphasize quality and tap into interest in cuisine exploration.

John Owen, Associate Director – Food and Retail

Market Definitions

For the purposes of this Report, Mintel has used the following definitions:

  • RTS wet soup – canned soup that does not require additional ingredients
  • Condensed wet soup – soup that can be used as-is in recipes or needs to have water or milk added to use as traditional soup
  • Dry soup mixes – dehydrated and require the addition of water to cook. Most require simmering, although some are instant and need only be stirred. Includes bouillon and ramen noodle soup mixes
  • Ready-to-serve broth – flavored water with some form of meat, fish or vegetable used as a base for soups and sauces
  • Refrigerated soup – soup that must be refrigerated to maintain freshness and heated to serve, but requires no added ingredients
  • Frozen soup – soup that requires thawing and heating, but no added ingredients
  • Fresh soups prepared and packaged in-store and packaged soups sold in foodservice outlets are excluded from the Market Size in this Report.
Collapse All
  1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

    • What you need to know
    • Market size & forecast
    • Market predictions
    • What consumers want & why
    • Opportunities
    • Flavor exploration: familiarity with a twist
    • Graph 1: attitudes toward soup – any agree, 2024
    • Address processing concerns
    • Graph 2: attitudes toward soup – any agree, by age, 2024
    • Align with home cooking
    • Graph 3: soup attribute associations, 2024
    • Leverage functional benefits to expand occasions
    • Graph 4: reasons for snacking, 2023
  2. MARKET DYNAMICS

    • Market context
    • Market drivers
    • Consumers remain uneasy about their finances, motivating many to look for ways to save on food
    • Graph 5: assessment of personal financial situation, 2022-24
    • Inflation easing faster on food at home than on foodservice
    • Graph 6: percentage of total food spending, at home vs away from home 2020-24
    • Cooking frequency and enthusiasm are on the rise, creating more opportunities for soup to be a facilitator
    • Graph 7: cooking frequency, 2021-24
    • Cooking frequency and enthusiasm are on the rise, creating more opportunities for soup to be a facilitator
    • Graph 8: attitude towards cooking, 2020-2024
    • Market size and forecast
    • Soup settles back into slow growth pattern
    • Retail sales and forecast of soup
    • Market segmentation
    • After disruption, segments return to long-term trends
    • Retail sales of soup, by segment
    • Graph 9: total retail sales of soup, by segment, at current prices, 2019-24
    • Retail sales of soup, by segment
    • Market share/brand share
    • Campbell’s maintains lead as smaller, more premium competitors gain momentum
    • Sales of soup, by company
    • Acquisitions help Campbell’s maintain its position as the leading RTS soup company
    • Sales and share of ready-to-serve wet soup
    • Campbell’s defines condensed soup
    • Sales and share of condensed wet soup
    • Bouillon lifts Knorr
    • Sales and share of dry soup
    • Small premium brands ride wave of interest in bone broth to drive growth, gain share
    • Sales and share of wet broth/stock
    • Panera continues to gain share and drive growth
    • Sales and share of refrigerated/frozen soup
  3. CONSUMER INSIGHTS

    • Consumer fast facts
    • Soup purchase
    • Soup purchase incidence overall is nearly universal, but individual types have room to grow
    • Graph 10: soup purchase, 2024
    • Younger adults gravitate to fresher varieties
    • Graph 11: soup purchase, by age, 2024
    • Soup behavior
    • Pairings and drinkable soup can help drive use among younger adults
    • Graph 12: soup behavior, by age, 2024
    • Soup occasions
    • Beyond lunch: opportunity to drive soup usage across more occasions
    • Graph 13: soup occasions, 2024
    • New soup occasions can cater to interest in cuisine exploration
    • Graph 14: soup occasions, by age, 2024
    • Soup purchase factors
    • Great taste experience is a must-have
    • Graph 15: soup purchase factors, 2024
    • Protein and functional claims could strengthen soup’s health image among younger soup eaters
    • Graph 16: soup purchase factors, by age, 2024
    • Soup attribute associations
    • Homemade remains the standard, underscoring the opportunity for packaged soup to facilitate home cooking
    • Graph 17: soup attribute associations, 2024
    • Interest in soup concepts
    • Beyond comfort: soup can meet a broad range of interests and needs
    • Graph 18: interest in soup concepts, 2024
    • Combining concepts could be key to capturing more occasions especially among younger soup eaters
    • Graph 19: interest in soup concepts, by age, 2024
    • Attitudes toward soup
    • Soup can serve as a platform for cuisine exploration
    • Graph 20: attitudes toward soup – any agree, by age, 2024
    • Bone broth adds element of health to soup aisle, but soup brands must overcome processing perception
    • Graph 21: attitudes toward soup – any agree, by age, 2024
    • A value perception with room for premiumization
    • Graph 22: attitudes toward soup, by personal financial status, 2024
    • An opportunity to embrace and build on comfort
    • Graph 23: attitudes toward soup – any agree, by age, 2024
  4. INNOVATION AND MARKETING STRATEGIES

    • Launch activity and innovation
    • Glass gains momentum in the soup aisle
    • Graph 24: glass packaging share of soup launches, 2018-24
    • Glass gains momentum in the soup aisle
    • Portable and more sustainable
    • Unexpected flavor innovations amplify soup’s comfort-food image
    • Marketing and advertising
    • Kettle & Fire Bone Broth combines versatility and functional benefits
    • Knorr takes on fast food
    • Borealis Foods brings plant-based protein and Gordon Ramsay to ramen
    • Ready-to-serve soup as a platform for retailer differentiation
  5. APPENDIX

    • Market definition
    • Consumer research questions
    • Consumer research methodology
    • Generations
    • Abbreviations and terms
    • Forecast methodology
    • Forecast fan chart methodology
    • The market
    • Sales and forecast of soup at inflation-adjusted prices
    • Sales and forecast of ready-to-serve wet soup at current prices
    • Sales and forecast of ready-to-serve soup at inflation-adjusted prices
    • Sales and forecast of condensed wet soup at current prices
    • Sales and forecast of condensed wet soup at inflation-adjusted prices
    • Sales and forecast of dry soup at current prices
    • Sales and forecast of dry soup at inflation-adjusted prices
    • Sales and forecast of wet broth/stock at current prices
    • Sales and forecast of wet broth/stock at inflation-adjusted prices
    • Sales and forecast of refrigerated fresh soup/frozen soup at current prices
    • Sales and forecast of refrigerated fresh soup/frozen soup at inflation-adjusted prices
    • Sales of soup by channel

Why Choose Mintel?

Mintel is the world’s leading market intelligence agency. We show you how consumers think today and tomorrow. As a trusted partner to industry leaders, we deliver game-changing insights to businesses across the globe, fuelling their marketing and innovation strategies that will shape the future.

Access high-quality market research with every purchase of Mintel’s consumer reports. Here’s what else is included in your report purchase:

  • Multiple Report Formats: Mintel’s reports are available in PDF and PPT formats, and are delivered straight to your inbox, so you can easily share Mintel’s market intelligence.
  • Access to Mintel’s Clients Portal: After your purchase is completed, you’ll receive an invitation to join Mintel’s Clients Portal, providing instant access to supplementary insights from Mintel’s industry experts.
  • Interactive Databook: Mintel’s bespoke consumer data is presented as an interactive website, so you can deep dive into your chosen topic, explore demographics and download specific statistics.
  • Custom Presentation Tool: Easily incorporate selected research data and analysis into a tailor-made presentation to win over clients and stakeholders.

Take a look at a sample PDF report below:

Please Note: All of the figures, graphs, and tables in this sample report have been redacted.
£ 3,695 (Excl.Tax)
  • Instant access when you pay by credit card
  • Save up to 20% when you purchase multiple reports
Buy now

Is this report right for you?

From consumer reports to customised growth strategies. We have an option to suit your business requirements.

Find out more

Popular Related Reports

Global Outlook on Sustainability: A Consumer Study 2024-25

£ 5,000£ 21,600

Mintel’s 2024-25 Global Outlook on Sustainability: A Consumer Study is designed to help you understand what brands and companies should prioritise in order to educate consumers and ensure...

Find out more

US Trending Flavors and Ingredients in Dips and Sauces Market Report 2024

£ 3,695

Almost half of dip and sauce users agree that dips and sauces are the best way to explore new flavors, and most consumers report looking for new foods...

Find out more

US Pizza Market Report 2024

£ 3,695

The US frozen pizza market, estimated in value at $9.6 billion in 2024, continues to be a convenient and cost-effective staple for households across all demographics. 57% of...

Find out more

US Condiments Market Report 2024

£ 3,695

Despite an established status as a household staple, the condiments industry continues to evolve through flavor innovation, refined formulations, and extended usage across occasions. Currently, the condiments market...

Find out more

US Prepared Meals Market Report 2024

£ 3,695

After the disruption of the pandemic and spiking inflation, prepared meals sales growth has at least temporarily ground to a halt, but the category is projected to return...

Find out more

Ready Meals (inc pizza) in US (2023) – Market Sizes

£ 495

Ready Meals (inc pizza) - US by Mintel Market Sizes provides you with annual year-end market size data, most recently updated in 2023. This comprises packaged frozen, chilled...

Find out more

Trusted by global industry leaders

Working in a customer-obsessed organization means that data and insights have to be at our fingertips. Mintel’s reports help us support anecdotes with real quantifiable insights. The summary sections (which I really like) helps save time by giving a birds eye view of the content before spending time combing through the pages.

Our business review discussions are strengthened by the relevancy of the reports to help us better understand our customers. In addition, the customer service received from the team (especially in crunch periods) makes the process of understanding customer behavior even better.

Ngozi Ngonadi-Nkwoji, Senior Marketing Manager, Amazon

There is no question that Mintel is the go-to resource for the best quality market research, but I did not think it was an affordable option for Abacus Marketing to consider. As a small marketing agency, we only work with a few new clients each year.

However, we have a very high-end consultative approach to our work, so we really do need a partner like Mintel to provide the big agency experience we are always aiming to deliver. Our clients come from an incredibly diverse range of industry sectors, so we obviously need access to market research reports from a very wide spectrum of marketplaces – and that is precisely what we got.

Stephen Taylor-Brown, Managing Director, Abacus

Mintel helps us when we want to know something quickly – it provides fast answers to our questions. If we need to get a view of what’s going on in a particular market it’s very useful.

When carrying out background research, I find Mintel an excellent starting point.

The fact that it covers so many markets is a big plus for me– instead of having to buy specialist products in each area we are interested in, especially when we only require a brief view on a particular market, we can go to Mintel for help as a one-stop shop. I find Mintel a useful and valuable resource.

Ben Zeidler, Director - Research and Analytics, Tenth Wave

We use Mintel to inform our thinking and reinforce strategy. If you’re presenting new ideas, it’s essential they are underpinned by robust data and evidence, and clearly rooted in fact.

Mintel gives us all that. It’s a great brand and one that is trusted by clients.

Marie Stafford, European Director, The Innovation Group, Wunderman Thompson

We’ve found it so useful working more closely with Mintel. They helped support our recent flagship event for our top suppliers by providing a really unique viewpoint on the future of online retailing.

Nick Carroll from their Retail Team was also an excellent panelist, sharing useful and actionable consumer insights. We definitely look forward to working with Mintel again on future projects.

Zac Steele, E-Commerce Trading Development Manager, Waitrose & Partners

Is this report right for you?

From consumer reports to customised growth strategies. We have an option to suit your business requirements.

Find out more