Posted on 09/27/2012 6:08:22 PM PDT by Justaham
Campbell Soup is closing two U.S. plants and cutting more than 700 jobs as it looks to trim costs amid declining consumption of its canned soups.
The world's largest soup maker said Thursday that it will close its plant in Sacramento that has about 700 full-time workers. The plant, which makes soups, sauces and beverages, was built in 1947 and is the company's oldest in the country. That also means it has the highest production costs of Campbell's four U.S. soup plants.
Campbell also plans to shutter a spice plant in South Plainfield, N.J. that has 27 employees. Production will be shifted to the company's other spice plant in Milwaukee.
Employees at the two closing plants were notified that there would be a meeting at 6 a.m. local time Thursday; about 400 workers showed up in California, where they were told of the closure.
"It's always difficult, even when there's a business case that is compelling," said Anthony Sanzio, a Campbell spokesman. "You're dealing with people, and this is going to impact 700 employees who've worked together closely for many years."
CEO Denise Morrison, who was been on the job for about a year, was not present at the meeting.
(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...
At the grocery today I noticed they don't make that any more. Too bad.
Nothing like the original served with a grilled cheese sandwich.
If I wanted "low sodium", or "low fat" tomato soup, I'd make it myself.
Kinda reminds me of King Vitaman cereal when it went "low sugar". For the kids, you know.
Screw that! If I want a pale imitation of the real thing, I'd buy Uncle Sam constipation flakes.
For me, they buckled under the left wing fascist and cut the salt in their products and then it sucked.
My favorite was bean with bacon and a grilled cheese.
Last time I looked a can of chicken noodle was close to $1.50 in my area.
>> Gotta say, that sounds very urban-legendy. Got any links?
You should already be familiar with this depraved science.
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/senomyx/index?tab=articles
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/pepsi/index?tab=articles
Homemade tomato soup! Get some ripe tomatoes, chop some onions, saute in butter, add tomatoes and seasoning, cook well, put through a strainer, add (whole) milk and heat gently. Mmmm mmmm good.
Add a grilled cheese sandwich (made with BUTTERED Wonder Bread and Velveeta cheese slices) and you've got a meal!
CORRECTION: Campbells SAY they stopped using the ghoulish ingredient.
I don’t believe it for a minute. If they had no compunctions about such a practice in the first place; and since they stonewalled and rope-a-doped through numerous attempts by these people to TALK to them about it; then as far as I’m concerned they can go pound sand. They can SAY they stopped it, and continue saying it until they turn blue and fall over! I won’t believe them no matter WHAT they say! And it would appear from the plant closures I;m not the only one who feels that way!
There are SOME things that are beyond the pale, and that’s one of them. What do they do with the rest of the aborted children; make lampshades and soap out of them? Where do we draw the line? If only Campbells soup will satisfy you, then slurp it down; but not me. I’ll just suffer along with my unadulterated Progresso.
Before you close up that sandwich, take 3 slices of Oscar Mayer turkey bacon, wrap paper towels around them and lay them out flat on a plate, nuke them for about 90 seconds or until crisp, and stick them in your sandwich. Now yer talkin’.
(I use turkey bacon because I’m “watchin’ my figger,”)
I'm not sure what they do at the place in Dixon, but it would be a bit easier to get trucks into (one has to drive through city traffic a bit to get to the Sacramento location, where the Dixon plant is outside of a much smaller town) particularly doubles loaded with tomatoes, and the Dixon plant would be closer to present-day fields, too.
There have long been large quantities of "Roma" tomatoes grown in the area with the majority of those going for tomato ketchup. That season has just about ended.
The Dixon site is closer to the produce coming from Salinas, too. I've delivered some loads (broccoli & celery was it?) out of Salinas to the Sacramento Campbell's Soup, once or twice, a couple of years ago now, hauling a typical 53' reefer trailer.
If soup sales are down, I wonder what will happen with the Dixon plant. One might otherwise guess it could be due for expansion (it looks like it has plenty of room for that). Who knows, they may build something additional to take up some of what the Sacramento location has been handling? That, and whatever dehydration processing they chose to do themselves, along the lines of more modern product(?) rather than buy a processed product from others. One thing for certain, trucking costs are a big factor. Water-based product is heavy. When hauling "fresh" produce, it's mainly water, in a sense. Which all adds up to heavy freight cost both in, and out.
Hmmm, I didn't pay close enough attention to the Dixon site when driving by a few times... but there IS a rail line crossing just a few hundred yards down the road. I'm not sure if that's the mainline SP rails, or if it's something of a siding. I do know that just East of there a couple of miles, the Coast Starlight and the more local commuter trains run through (on the SP rails) a couple of miles or so South of Interstate 80 (which skirts Dixon on the North side, for the most part).
Perhaps the trucking issues are part of the problem? Too expensive, for a product which historically relied on low cost and volume sales. I don't *think* train cars still run to the old Sacramento plant...but I do seem to recall some old rails there...
Times change. The fields that once sold their product to the old Sac plant, are now covered in houses, some of them anyway.
Thank you for your post.
I’m reminded of Silicon Valley, which still had patches of farmland in the mid 1990s (remember Olson’s Cherry Orchard?), and about 20 years earlier, all the farmland and greenhouses in Fremont/Newark. Now that area is covered with housing developments and industrial parks.
Seems like all the companies that make packaged food of any kind are touting the low sodium, low fat, low taste line. Was there an order by FDA, USDA or Moochelle that made this happen? There aren’t even any choices any more. It’s buy their particular product or forget it.
Why would they all do it?
That best part especially if you are sick with cold or flu.”
Chicken broth really is good for what ails you as well as for your soul. Not sure why but it truly works.
Story is that all good Jewish mothers always had spare chicken broth in the freezer.
I was mixed up about the rail lines. On the East side of Dixon, where the newer Campbells is, the tracks are closer to the Interstate. It's on the WEST side, that they are a couple of miles S of the Interstate. That line crosses under the Interstate in Davis, fairly near the 10 year old "Mondavi" Performing Arts Center on the edge of the UC Davis Campus.
Creaky old Magrit Mondavi was just on the front page of the local paper a couple of days ago, celebrating ten years since her and her husband gave large donations to build it --- getting schmoozed by UC types, including Katehi --- who in other recent news just signed off on giving $30,000 pay-outs to the students who got pepper-sprayed last year. What an expensive fiasco... (hey, it's a food product, you could put it on your burrito, hehhehheh...)
They still have a small ride-on train for the kiddies, but what was once a road stop for passing dignitaries is now just another place one can spend their money on stuff they may or may not need. Lot's of clothing stores catering to women who have money to spend...
Campbell’s Sales fall 8% After Boycott for Muslim Brotherhood-Linked Collaboration
________________________________________________________
You’re a big Campbell’s supporter eh?
I say good riddance!
Sales fall 8% After Boycott for Muslim Brotherhood-Linked
Collaboration Campbell’s Soup catering to Islam
http://www.wnd.com/2010/10/212457/
Campbell’s Sales fall 8% After Boycott for Muslim Brotherhood-Linked Collaboration
Sales fall 8% After Boycott for Muslim Brotherhood-Linked
Collaboration Campbell’s Soup catering to Islam
http://www.wnd.com/2010/10/212457/
I only buy Campbells Chunky Soup. Does anybody know do these plants make the Chunky brand.
Just another victim in the Øbama economy.
No need to get upset at me about this.
I only mentioned what was in the article. I wasn’t set out to contradict you. It was more of a “heads up”. I do agree with you that them saying they stopped doesn’t mean they actually did. It’s not as if we can look at the ingredient list to find the removed ingredient. I don’t recall seeing any cans saying “New and improved - 100% fetus free!”
I used to buy campbells only when it was on sale. Then I stopped when I learned they processed the food according to muslim standards.
I now buy Knorr dehydrated soups. At the moment I’m not aware of anything incorrect with them. I got hooked on their soup when the first time I used it the house smelled of mushrooms. The mushrooms even looked and tasted like mushrooms. Brought back memories of grandma’s cooking.
Oh and I do buy Progresso soups when on sale. Now let’s talk GMO.
LOL! I was thinking the same thing. Stock is easy to make with a crock pot, and the 'cream' part is a 5 minute process by making a thin white cream sauce.
I honestly think the last can of Campbell's soup I bought, they'd used rubber chicken!
Blech!
I actually prefer the low sodium products.
This gives me the opportunity to use the more nutritious sea salt.
I bring my own salt to restaurants. Won’t use their table salt because it has no iodine.
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