Soup Market By Product Type (Canned Soups, Dry Soups, Chilled Soups, Frozen Soups, Organic Soups, Health and Wellness Soups, Other), By Packaging (Cans, Pouches, Cartons, Frozen Packaging), By Category (Vegetarian, Non-Vegetarian, Exotic Flavors), By Distribution Channel (Online Platforms, Retail {Supermarkets, Convenience Stores, Specialty Stores}, Foodservice {Restaurants, Catering Services}), Global Market Size, Segmental analysis, Regional Overview, Company share analysis, Leading Company Profiles And Market Forecast, 2025 – 2035

Industry Outlook

The Soup market accounted for USD 20.3 Billion in 2024 and is expected to reach USD 35.45 Billion by 2035, growing at a CAGR of around 5.2% between 2025 and 2035. The Soup Market involves reflection on the global industry that deals with the processing, distribution, and marketing of canned, dried, chilled, and ready-to-eat soups. It covers all categories of soups: clear broth and thick creamy soup soups; natural and homemade soups and modern fashionable organic and vegan soups.

The main drivers for market growth include new trends among the population, including shifting demographics and changing lifestyles, widespread interest in convenient and healthy foods, as well as new tastes. This involves its players such as industries and companies, different market areas; and regional and emerging trends influencing its development.

Report Scope:

Market Dynamics

Increasing consumer preference for healthy, low-calorie, and nutrient-rich soup choices

The trends in the consumption of healthy soups, low-calorie, and nutrient soups are increasing due to the education awareness among the consumers. Consumers are searching for foods that meet their dietary concerns such as healthy weight, boost immunity, and general well-being. This is provided by soups, which people consider light meals owing to their texture, even though they are heavy; voila soups with added vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

This is compounded by the increasing incidence of lifestyle diseases that compel people to change their eating habits. In their report for 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that thirty-nine percent of adults globally are overweight, turning the focus towards low-energy density diets. This shift gives good potential for soup manufacturers to seize the market and develop a new product.

The introduction of unique and exotic soup flavors expands the consumer market

One of the primary factors stimulating the growth of the consumer market can be attributed to the introduction of new soup flavors that are comprehensively different from the traditional ones. Having adopted more diverse tastes, especially regarding meals, they are expecting more variation in soup besides what normal soup bowls and cups look like. This demand for variation gives the brands the impetus to try new regional, global, and fusion forms of foods to feed adventurous customers and those with such cultural preferences.

Exotic soups do more than respond to consumer desire for novelty; they also carve out a niche for a firm in a saturated product segment. The Institute of Food Technologists points out that consumers are still looking for new adventures and international flavors, 45% of U.S. consumers want more diverse foods in 2023. This increasing quest for new flavors helps soup brands expand their market and consumer base and build loyalty.

Intense market competition among brands challenges product differentiation and consumer loyalty

Higher market competition among soup brands results in problems with how the soup brands can differentiate the products and gain customer loyalty. When many brands are present in the market with the same type of products, then for the various companies it might be a difficult proposition to carve a niche for themselves in the market. Consequently, price cuts and promotions became one of the main marketing tools in brands’ actions because customers are never aware of the brand, anyway, can pay attention to its products for a week during a sale.

Normally, consumers are exposed to many brands and products and hence have no personal affinity with any brand. This results in a plethora of markets with customer churn across brands every season, as per price variations, convenience, or stock availability an inconvenience that does not help brands sustain demand in the long run.

Growing demand for plant-based soups boosts market growth and consumer interest

This same need shows strong consumer trends toward plant-based meals and is likely to be a strong driver of demand for plant-based soups. The pressure to introduce more plant-based meals since they are healthy, humane, and sustainable increases as people look for meatless, milk-less, and vegan soups. These soups speak to various consumers well, targeting consumers who are vegetarians, vegans, and flexitarian persons and provide healthy, tasty, and fulfilling meals other than the conventional animal protein-based meals.

Manufacturers in the soup industry can appeal to consumers looking for a lighter and handy, though nourishing product, through plant-based soups. Moreover, plant-based soups deliver messages concerning sustainability; hence, are appealing to customers who are keen on sustainable diets. This change towards the utilization of these plant products is also expected to persist and fuel the growth of the soup market.

Sustainable packaging solutions attract eco-conscious consumers and enhance brand loyalty

Sustainable packaging presents a significant prospect in the soup market to appeal to customers with a conscience and increase customer retention. With the ever-rising concern of environmental degradation, consumer have shifted their focus on brands that support environment-friendly practices such as environmentally friendly packaging. Organic, sustainable, and reusable materials are preferred by conscious consumers who search for biodegradable, recyclable, or compostable packaging. By implementing these solutions, soup brands can STP themselves among the existing competitors and also develop a desirable image of their brands. This commitment to sustainability does more than lure environmentally conscious consumers: Consumers are more likely to remain invested in a brand that reflects their own beliefs. Also, corporate sustainability efforts are gradually emerging as compulsory for companies that seek to conform to legal expectations and respond to ecological problems of the world.

Industry Experts Opinion

"Another common winter practice I see is people switching to a soup-only diet before dinner. While soups made with beetroot, carrots, turnips, cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli offer plenty of nutrients, overdoing them can lead to bloating and discomfort. They are healthy, but moderation is important. Plus, winter vegetables are often cooked with rich ingredients like butter, cream, or cheese, which can quickly increase calorie intake."

• Komal Patel, Dietician, Co-founder at Vyndo – The Energy Snacks

Segment Analysis

Based on the Product type, the Soup Market is classified into Canned Soups, Dry Soups, Chilled Soups, Frozen Soups, Organic Soups, Health and Wellness Soups, and others. Among all segments present in the Soup market, the Health and Wellness Soups segment is the most active in the soup market. Purchase is shifting toward healthier food products that have fewer levels of sodium, more fiber, vitamins, and agents, or additional protein.

This has of course shifted contingent to the new trend of wellness and clean eating throughout the world which has led to the need for natural soups, soups made from organic ingredients, and soups that are prepared to meet certain dietary requirements such as gluten-free soups, vegan soups etc. Other clients who are involved in the health and wellness soups include those who have a need to lose weight, detoxify themselves self, or have digestive tract problems. Due to the increasing customer base that is interested in healthy ready-to-eat meals, this segment remains a key force behind the growth of the market.

Based on the Packaging, the Soup Market is classified into Cans, Pouches, Cartons, and Frozen Packaging. Currently, the Cans Division is the largest in the soup market. Canned soups are a traditional kind of food because they are easy to prepare, keep well, and are cheap to make. With their products being easy to cook and prepared meals, they appeal to the consuming public who lead very busy lives. Canning also enables the retention of taste and nutrients whenever the soup is in the process, hence product uniformity. Further, the appeal of canned soups has been enhanced by new packaging that has replaced BPA with better packaging tin options and going green and natural by adopting eco-friendly cans. To this end, the market for canned soup is the largest and still leads the field as indicated above.

Regional Analysis

In North America, there is a surge in the Soup Market due to operational factors, such as the steady consumer preference for healthy convenience soups, and ready-to-eat soups. With consumers focusing significantly on the health benefits of their food, there are increased varieties of plant-based, organic soups as well as low material sodium. The trend in the United States of America and Canada for quality and gourmet soups in a graduate level than in the past by customers demanding better quality ingredients and products with more variations.

Canned and packaged soup categories represent the largest entities in this area, whereas fresh and frozen soup categories are likely to capture higher percentages shortly. Other factors play a role in the market growth of soups like other e-commerce sites that offer an easy approach towards different soups products. New distribution channels remain in fashion in retail chains and grocery stores while established food services suppliers from restaurants and cafes are expanding the range of soup offers. Also, consumer demand for various sustainable and green packaging products is a factor that is shaping the market.

The Asia-Pacific region is experiencing growth owing to rising trends in urbanization, and product consumers’ preferred alternatives have shifted to convenient healthy foods. China, Japan, and India are some of the leading consumers who have shown preference for ready-to-eat and instant canned soups. Interest in traditional soups as well as in regional variations of soups is rising and whereas Western-style soups remain dominant, the choice is highly miscellaneous. Consumers in the region are now more aware of healthy eating patterns and are therefore demanding functional soups low-fat, high-protein, and plant-based soups.

Additionally, consumer interest in new packaging solutions, particularly takeaway products, has increased. E-commerce distribution channels are also emerging, and consumers can buy a variety of soups that they were not able to access before. Further, there is a larger and expanding customer base, middle-class people, with higher disposable income, which shifts their preference toward soups in the premium segment. New product development in the market also experienced cross-over cultural flavors and even cross-over soup flavors; these changes helped to cause consumer preference change.

Competitive Landscape

The soup industry is already saturated, and the key players are Campbell Soup Company, Nestle, Unilever company, Kraft Foods Group, and General Mills. It comprises these leading companies having well-known brands including Campbell’s Soup, Knorr, Maggi, and Progress, among others. These brands have product innovation strategies where they target to tap ready-to-eat soup, low-calorie soup as well as organic soup because they discovered that consumers need convenience, low-calorie soup as well as organic soups. In addition, the key players have been diversifying their products by launching new flavors as well as different packaging methods which enable them to extend their distribution channels to the international market.

In more recent years there has been increased competition in the soup market with the following events. Unilever has recently added plant-based soup solutions to the Knorr portfolio because of changing consumer diet preferences towards vegetarians. Nestlé has also moved a long way by buying Freshly a meal delivery service that also contains soups to increase the notion of ready-to-eat meals. In promoting and selling its soup products, Campbell’s has been using digital media to sell and advertise its products, especially using internet-based methods such as e-commerce. These strategies along with a focus on product differentiators and sustainable solutions have enabled these market leaders to continue exercising their dominance in the face of growing competition in the market.

Soup Market, Company Shares Analysis, 2024

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Recent Developments:

• In November 2023, India's first indigenous soup with regional variations, SAARRU, was introduced by the Peninsular Export Company. In addition to offering three different types of soup mutton soup masala, chicken soup masala, and chicken coriander rasam masala, the brand intended to introduce more flavors to its lineup.
• In April 2023, to preserve the world's green sea turtle population while honoring the culinary customs of the numerous nations that continued to eat turtle meat, food technology leader NotCo developed a plant-based alternative to turtle soup. Utilizing NotCo's innovative AI technology and Peruvian chef Diego Oka's culinary skills, the recently created NotTurtle Soup created a dish that mimicked the flavor and texture of real turtle flesh without utilizing turtles.

Report Coverage:

By Product Type

• Canned Soups
• Dry Soups
• Chilled Soups
• Frozen Soups
• Organic Soups
• Health and Wellness Soups
• Other

By Packaging

• Cans
• Pouches
• Cartons
• Frozen Packaging

By Category

• Vegetarian
• Non-Vegetarian
• Exotic Flavors

By Distribution Channel

• Online Platforms
• Retail
  • Supermarkets/Hypermarkets
  • Convenience Stores
  • Specialty Stores
• Foodservice
  • Restaurants
  • catering services

By Region

North America

• U.S.
• Canada

Europe

• U.K.
• France
• Germany
• Italy
• Spain
• Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific

• China
• Japan
• India
• Australia
• South Korea
• Singapore
• Rest of Asia Pacific

Latin America

• Brazil
• Argentina
• Mexico
• Rest of Latin America

Middle East & Africa

• GCC Countries
• South Africa
• Rest of Middle East & Africa

List of Companies:

• The Campbell's Company
• Nestlé S.A.
• Unilever PLC
• The Kraft Heinz Company
• General Mills Inc.
• Conagra Brands Inc.
• B&G Foods, Inc.
• Baxters Food Group
• The Hain Celestial Group, Inc.
• Associated British Foods plc
• Premier Foods Group Limited
• Ottogi Co., Ltd.
• Upton's Naturals Co.
• WA Baxter & Sons (Holdings) Limited
• B&G Foods Holding Corp

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)