Campbell’s Is Dramatically Changing Its Iconic Chicken Noodle Soup

Some iconic foods may seem untouchable, like they'd always be enjoyed in the same way by our parents, ourselves, our children, and our grandchildren beyond that. But changing tastes have led to compromise for even the truest of American classics.

Recall when Twinkies were briefly on the chopping block in 2012—there was a collective outcry that a childhood treat might be lost (though who could honestly say they had been eating Twinkies with any regularity?). An investor saved Twinkies from oblivion, but the idea of change was nevertheless hard to accept.

The reality, though, is that today's consumer is more concerned with healthy eating than previous generations. You aren't going to find many big-box brands at Whole Foods. And in a sign of the times, Campbell's is beginning to tinker with its chicken soup recipe.

The classic red and white can recipe, which features 30 ingredients, will remain the same—for now. But a new kids' version of chicken noodle soup co-branded with Star Wars is cutting out ten ingredients in an effort to create a more "natural" recipe. The new version gets rid of chemical word salad such as disodium inosinate and maltodextrin, as well as celery, onions, vegetable oil and cornstarch. Sorry, celery.

"Before, when we talked about our business, we talked about how many cases we shipped," Campbell's CEO Denise Morrison told the New York Times. "Today, we're talking about our food."

"It's a delicate balance because these products are beloved," Charles Vila, a Campbell VP, told the New York Times.

The hope is that a new recipe will appeal to younger, more health-conscious consumers. Soup sales have been in a slump, stagnating around $16 billion globally since 2012 and expected to fall to just over $15 billion this year. Campbell's unit sales fell by more than 5 percent last year, according to the New York Times. Meanwhile, some smaller organic soup makers are gaining market share.

"There are 80 million Millennials now, and they're shopping and thinking differently about food and in a way that is influential," Morrison said.

The move is part of a broader shift to reenergize the Campbell Soup Company brand. Campbell's has of late bought up a few companies that bring them closer to the health foods category, and has broken free of the can with new products like Slow Kettle soups in plastic containers with labels that look considerably more "bistro."

One dietitian praised the streamlined recipe to Yahoo! Health, but found Campbell's claim that they are "closing the gap between the kitchen and our plants" a bit misleading given that Campbell's is cutting celery and onion from the recipe. Campbell's says they cut celery because—no surprise here—young taste-testers didn't like it.

The recipe changes primarily affect the soup's broth, so while you're chomping down on Yoda or R2-D2, the pasta part should taste the same as the classic noodle.

If you're the nostalgic type, don't look now, as Campbell's is also toying with its recipe for tomato soup in the company kitchens. At least the classics are already memorialized.