Over the last week, Campbell’s Soup has been in the news; not for a new flavor, but for comments about how processed their foods really are, straight from the recently fired VP’s mouth.
The headlines reignited a familiar debate:
- What does “processed” even mean?
- How processed is too processed?
- And how is a consumer supposed to know?
Campbell’s response? Fire the employee and insist that everything is fine.
WISEcode’s response? Provide transparency and knowledge about what’s actually in our food.
At WISEcode, this is exactly the kind of confusion we were built to solve.
Instead of chit-chat, we paired the Campbell’s Soup lineup against our Food Intelligence Platform™ using our UPF Code, Banned/Unsafe Ingredients Code, and Clean Label Code to show what’s really inside America’s most iconic soup brand.
Here are the facts.
1. Campbell’s has 2,089 SKUs across grocery retail in our database
Campbell’s is far more than red-and-white cans; its footprint spans soups, broths, Chunky, Swanson, Pace, Prego, ready-to-eat meals, and more.
2. UPF Levels Are Almost 2x Higher Than the Market
Using the WISEcode UPF Code:
• 56.7% of Campbell’s SKUs are UPF or Super UPF
• Market baseline: 30.4%
Campbell’s lineup is therefore ~90% more ultra-processed than the average product in U.S. grocery retail.
This doesn’t mean every Campbell’s product is unhealthy, but it does mean the level of industrial processing is far higher than many consumers might expect from an iconic American brand.
3. 99 Campbell’s SKUs Contain Ingredients Banned in Other Countries
This is only ~5% of the portfolio – not huge, but the real question is:
Why isn’t this number zero?
These banned ingredients are restricted internationally due to studies showing concerns about:
- microbiome harm
- inflammatory effects
- hyper-processing
- long-term toxicity
In fairness, Campbell’s is not alone. Many legacy packaged-food brands still use additives that are banned globally but allowed in the U.S.
But consumers deserve transparency, at the very least.
4. 402 SKUs (~19%) Fail Clean Label Standards
These products contain at least one of the four artificial additives most shoppers try to avoid:
- artificial colors
- artificial preservatives
- artificial flavors
- artificial sweeteners
Many artificial ingredients may not cause harm, but if you are America’s soup company, why use anything artificial at all?
Why This Matters
Families buy Campbell’s for convenience, budget, and comfort. These foods are woven into decades of American eating habits.
But modern science on UPF tells a different story.
Ultra-processed foods aren’t simply “processed”, they’re increasingly linked to, according to research:
- higher chronic disease risk
- metabolic dysfunction
- gut microbiome disruption
- higher all-cause mortality
And consumers have no reliable way to tell when a food is UPF or Super UPF.
Until now.
WISEcode: Turning Confusion Into Clarity
To cut through the noise, WISEcode built the Campbell’s Soup Code — a simple, transparent way to understand:
- UPF level (Minimal → Moderate → UPF → Super UPF)
- Banned Ingredients (globally restricted compounds)
- Clean Label (presence of any of the 4 artificial additives)
With a single scan, consumers see the truth — no marketing, no spin, no guesswork.
The Bigger Point
Campbell’s isn’t uniquely “bad.”
It’s simply a clear example of a broader pattern in U.S. food culture: Millions of Americans are eating UPFs every day without knowing it.
WISEcode exists to provide Food Intelligence for all, so consumers can decide for themselves.
Rather than reacting to another news cycle, we’re giving people something far more powerful: Clarity. Transparency. Knowledge. And food intelligence they can use.
WISEcode is driven by a simple purpose:
To help everyone live a better life by unlocking the power of food, so people can reach their potential and achieve their life goals.
This is how we move from confusion to solutions – and a better life – together.
Download WISEcode for free today and see for yourself, or join the UPF Code Hack and help us close the UPF debate for good.