Is Campbell's Tomato Soup Vegan & Cruelty Free? (2024)

Trying to work out if Campbell’s Tomato Soup is vegan can be a bit complicated.

Campbell’s products, like many other ready-made soups, are often vague about their ingredients, some of which may be animal-derived.

To make sure that you are only enjoying food that fits with your vegan diet, I took a close look at the ingredients and production processes of Campbell’s Tomato Soup.

Here’s what I found.

Is Campbell’s Tomato Soup Vegan?

No. Campbell’s Tomato Soup is not vegan.

Campbell’s has stated that they don’t sell vegan soups and that only one of their many soup varieties is even vegetarian. They admitted that most flavors use beef or chicken broth and that their natural flavors may include meat, poultry, dairy, and seafood.

Some soups in their Well, Yes! product line are vegan, though, like the Harvest Vegetable with Butternut Squash and Quinoa Soup Bowl and the Spiced Chickpea with Spinach and Quinoa Soup Bowl. These don’t include “natural flavors,” which often contain animal products. Some have egg whites, so you really need to check the ingredients list.

Most flavors of Campbell’s Soups also contain sugar, which is often processed using animal bone char to make it whiter. While not all sugar is filtered with bone char, the majority of it is, so unless the sugar in the product is labeled specifically to be “organic,” “raw,” or “unrefined,” you can bet it was probably processed with bone char.

You may want to buy a different brand of tomato soup or make your own at home with ingredients that you can be sure are vegan.

Is Campbell’s Tomato Soup Cruelty Free?

Yes. Campbell’s Tomato Soup is cruelty free.

Campbell’s does not test their products on animals at any stage of production and they do not contain ingredients that are tested on animals, like artificial colors or flavors.

Animal testing is a gruesome and unnecessary process that often involves immense suffering.

It’s great to see that Campbell’s has chosen not to support this kind of animal cruelty and that they are instead developing cruelty-free products.

What Is Campbell’s Tomato Soup Made Of?

Here are the ingredients of Campbell’s Tomato Soup:

Tomato puree
High fructose corn syrup
Water
Wheat flour
Sugar
Salt
Potassium salt
Natural flavoring
Citric acid
Ascorbic acid (vitamin C)
Monopotassium phosphate
Celery extract
Garlic oil

Let’s break down these ingredients:

Tomato puree

Tomato puree is made from tomato paste and water. It is a thick liquid that is used as a base for many tomato-based dishes like soup, sauce, and ketchup. It is vegan.

High fructose corn syrup

High fructose corn syrup is a type of sugar made from corn. It is often used in processed foods as a sweetener because it is cheaper than cane sugar. High fructose corn syrup is vegan.

Water

Water is used to thin out the tomato puree and to add more liquid to the soup. It is vegan.

Wheat flour

Wheat flour is a type of flour made from grinding wheat into a fine powder. It is often used as a thickening agent in soups and sauces. It is vegan.

Sugar

Sugar is used to add sweetness to soup. While sugar is plant based because it comes from sugar cane or sugar beets, most sugars are filtered with bone char to make it white. Bone char is made from the bones of cattle and is not vegan.

Salt

Salt is a natural mineral that is used to add flavor to the soup. It is vegan.

Potassium salt

Potassium salt is a type of salt that contains potassium. It is often used as a thickening agent or to add flavor. It is vegan.

Natural flavoring

Natural flavoring is a term used to describe flavorings that come from natural sources like plants or animals. In the case of Campbell’s Tomato Soup, they admitted that their natural flavors may come from meat, poultry, dairy, or seafood. This means that the natural flavoring in their soup is not vegan.

Citric acid

Citric acid is a type of acid that is found in citrus fruits. It is used to add flavor or to act as a preservative. It is vegan.

Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C)

Ascorbic acid is a type of acid that is found in citrus fruits. It is used to add flavor or to act as a preservative. It is vegan.

Monopotassium phosphate

Monopotassium phosphate is a type of salt that contains potassium and phosphate. It is often used as a thickening agent or to add flavor. It is vegan.

Celery extract

Celery extract is made by extracting the flavor from celery. It is used to add flavor to soup. While it is plant based, it is not vegan if it was extracted using animal products like tallow or lard.

Garlic oil

Garlic oil is made by infusing garlic in oil. It is used to add flavor to the soup. While it is plant-based, it is not vegan if it was infused using animal products like tallow or lard.

Why Isn’t Campbell’s Tomato Soup Vegan?

Campbell’s Tomato soup is not vegan because it contains natural flavoring that very likely comes from animal sources. While the company does not explicitly say that their natural flavoring is not vegan, they do admit that it could come from meat, poultry, dairy, or seafood. This means that the natural flavoring in their soup is not vegan.

Sugar is also a problematic ingredient in Campbell’s Tomato Soup. While sugar is plant based because it comes from sugar cane or sugar beets, most sugars are filtered using bone char to process it and make it white. Unless the sugar is explicitly labeled as “organic,” “raw,” or “unrefined,” it is very likely that it has been processed with bone char and is not vegan.

Some varieties of their soup are accidentally vegan, but they are not clearly labeled as such. If you want to be sure that you are eating a vegan soup, it is best to buy one from a brand that specializes in vegan food.

Is Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup Vegan?

No. Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup contains milk.

This is not a vegan soup.

Is Campbell’s Cream of Chicken Soup Vegan?

No. Campbell’s Cream of Chicken is not vegan. It’s a hodgepodge of non-vegan ingredients, such as chicken stock, cream, chicken meat, chicken fat, whey, dried chicken, natural flavoring, and milk.

This is definitely not a vegan soup.