Campbell's Condensed Chicken Noodle Soup: Labelgrade C (64/100)

The short answer

Campbell’s Condensed Chicken Noodle Soup delivers 3g of protein and 69.6 calories per 0.5 cup (USDA FDC 1627241). Per 100mL that’s 2.5g of protein; per fl oz, 0.7g. The Labelgrade is C (64 / 100): Additive-heavy formulation (soy protein concentrate and phosphate additives), very low saturated fat, effectively zero sugar, and high sodium per 100mL.

Why this Labelgrade

How it compares

870 milligrams of sodium is the entire grade

If you remember one number about this can, make it the sodium. 870mg per half-cup of condensed soup is the single reason this lands at a C — it scores an F on our sodium dimension, the worst mark on the card, while everything else (saturated fat, sugar) grades clean. And that 870mg isn’t the bowl you eat; it’s the concentrate before you’ve added a drop of water. Prepare the full can the way the label intends — two servings of concentrate plus water — and a finished bowl carries close to 1,740mg of sodium, around three-quarters of a day’s entire allowance, in one sitting.

This is the defining trait of classic condensed soups: they are, functionally, salt delivery vehicles with some noodles in them. Adding water makes the soup taste milder but doesn’t remove any of the sodium you started with — dilution spreads the salt across more liquid, it doesn’t get rid of it. None of this is unique to Campbell’s; it’s how the entire condensed category is built. But it’s why a soup with only 70 calories and 3g of protein still can’t grade above a C, and why anyone managing blood pressure or sodium should treat this as an occasional bowl rather than a pantry staple.

Low-calorie comfort, not a protein food — and the lower-sodium fix

Strip out the sodium and what’s left is thin. At 3g of protein per serving this barely registers as a protein contribution — about the protein in half an egg, in a soup that’s mostly seasoned broth and a few enriched egg noodles. Real chicken meat is in there, but it sits below the noodles and modified food starch on the ingredient list, and soy protein isolate, MSG and a phosphate additive round it out. As the warm, easy thing you want when you’re sick it does its job; as nutrition it’s comfort with very little substance behind it.

The good news is that the one flaw worth fixing is the easy one. Because the sodium is doing essentially all the damage, switching to a “Healthy Request” or reduced-sodium chicken noodle gets you most of the way to a better choice — those versions cut roughly a third or more of the salt while keeping the same modest calories and protein, so the taste and the meal barely change but the worst number drops sharply. A ready-to-eat soup like Progresso Traditional also comes in lower on a same-serving basis and brings a bit more protein. The classic red can is fine now and then; if chicken noodle soup is a regular thing for you, the lower-sodium versions are simply the smarter default.

Scope

This page covers Campbell’s Condensed Chicken Noodle Soup, UPC 051000187680, as represented in USDA Branded Foods FDC 1627241. Campbell’s sells multiple variants in this product line — other sizes, flavors, or fat levels may have different macros and Labelgrade scores. Manufacturers periodically reformulate; always cross-reference the actual package label, especially if you have allergies or dietary restrictions.

Ingredients (from the USDA Branded Foods entry)

CHICKEN STOCK, ENRICHED EGG NOODLES (WHEAT FLOUR, EGGS, EGG WHITES, NIACIN, FERROUS SULFATE, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), CHICKEN MEAT, MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF: SALT, CHICKEN FAT, MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, YEAST EXTRACT, FLAVORING, BETA CAROTENE FOR COLOR, SODIUM PHOSPHATE, SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE, DEHYDRATED CHICKEN.

🔬 Compare this product side-by-side with any other →

See how this fits your day — protein calculator · macro calculator

Scope: This page applies specifically to Condensed Chicken Noodle Soup · UPC 051000187680. Other sizes, flavors, or formulations may differ.