News and trends about soup canned and soup frozen can have many advantages for foodservice professionals and entrepreneurs. First, if you're a soup manufacturer, you'll be able to learn which foods are attracting the most attention from your customers who are serious about the kind of foods they buy. Second, you'll discover how your competitors are trying to boost their sales.

But you don't have to be a soup manufacturer to gain valuable knowledge from reading about canned and frozen soup news and trends. Even small cafe owners can learn about the most popular recipes at high-volume restaurants so they can duplicate the most talked-about soups in their own businesses. Explore the many sources of news on this very popular topic:

1. Read about consumer demand for the leading products among canned and frozen soup companies.

2. Find consumers' opinions on the best frozen soups and canned soups from ones found on popular blogs.

3. Learn the latest canned and frozen soup news and trends right from the websites of the leading soup companies.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Educate yourself on the canned soup industry with online journals and market reports

You may want to know which of the canned soups are the best sellers or what is the best frozen soup that is preferred by the health and wellness crowd.

I recommend: Food For Thought gives you the raw data on sales of canned and frozen soup throughout the world. Access periodicals at The Free Library to learn about new products the market leaders are developing. High Beam Research provides in-depth market reports identifying sales of canned and frozen soups in different regions.

Tap into news about frozen and canned soups that consumers are sharing in blog commentaries

You may just be looking for a canned tomato soup recipe that you can use to create a new kind of sauce. Get even practical tips like this on thought-provoking blogs.

I recommend: Enjoy the very interesting blogs on Entire of Itself. The topics reveal a great deal about how popular canned and frozen soups have become. Roadfood.com and Chowhound will let you see a running discussion among bloggers about canned vegetable soup recipes or a new soup at a favorite restaurant. Soup Swap blogs take you into the minds of your customers so you get a first-hand glimpse of what they believe works and doesn't work with canned soups.

Get news straight from the websites of the canned and frozen soup companies

The websites of leading canned and frozen soup companies maintain separate pages where you can access news about their latest products.

I recommend: Read press releases from the newsrooms of both Campbell's and Betty Crocker to find out about events these companies are hosting to arouse the public's interest in their products.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Soup companies urge wholesalers and retailers to rotate their stock of canned and frozen soup just as they do for other food products.

Canned and frozen soup can be used to cut the time it takes to make complex dishes, stews or casseroles. By using high-quality prepared soup canned or soup frozen, you can offer the very best to your patrons at a better price and with faster service.

Frozen soups come in a large variety of flavors from reputable frozen soup companies, including broccoli, tomato, minestrone or Mexican tortilla soup. Top canned soup labels can fill your shelves to make it easier to make a pot of soup or casserole. Many restaurants and food service businesses use frozen and canned soup of some kind in their recipes. When considering what canned and frozen soup to use in your business, you should:

1. Decide on the canned and frozen soups you would most like to have on hand as ingredients for more complex recipes.

2. Find reputable canned and frozen soup processors and suppliers to keep you stocked while providing top customer service.

3. Buy specialty frozen or canned soup from frozen and canned soup manufacturers and suppliers.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Decide on the canned and frozen soup you will stock

There are literally hundreds of canned and frozen soups from which to choose in stocking your commercial kitchen. Consider the soups you use most, the type of menu you are offering and the changes you can make in the way you buy and use ingredients. Contact other restaurants in your area that have similar menus to ask about the quantities they order and what suppliers they recommend.

I recommend: SYSCO is one of the largest and most well-known marketers and distributors of both canned soups and frozen foods for restaurants and other food service businesses. They also distribute their own label canned and frozen soups, or those by top canned soup brands like Campbell's. Foodservice.com offers canned and frozen soup reports detailing what canned and frozen foods are selling best and which are not selling as quickly.

Find reputable canned and frozen soup processors

Working with a reputable canned and frozen soup company can save you time and money. The more items you buy from the same soup distributor, the better.

I recommend: Campbell's Soup Company is one of the most well-known manufacturers in the canned soup industry and also house the Pace, Pepperidge Farm and Prego brands, among others. Cuizina Food Company offers a variety of frozen soups, pastas and sauces. You can buy frozen soup from them or have them package and freeze custom soups for your business.

Buy from specialty canned and frozen soup companies

Consider the specialty soups you may want to offer, but are not confident in the local ingredients or have the expertise to make-order them from a company that has both and give your customers the very best.

I recommend: Norpac offers a wide selection of specialty frozen soups, including three different kinds of chowder and an Asian style Chicken Vegetable soup. Truesoups has an extensive selection of delicious and specialty soups, including vegan and low fat varieties.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Watch your canned and frozen soup inventory closely the first couple of weeks. By immediately noticing trends and adjusting orders accordingly, you can save money and reduce spoilage.
• •  Always remember the 'last in, last out' theory of food inventory management. Buy an industrial sized can organizer (like the kind canned food companies use to stock soup on store shelves) that allows canned goods to roll out toward the front from the back where you will load them. Also put newly received frozen food behind older food to encourage you and your staff to always be pulling the oldest food out for use.

Changing consumer trends continue to impact the food industry, including the canned soup industry. Whereas many once looked to fresh vegetables to meet nutritional needs, canned and frozen soup is definitely popular. The convenience and ease they offer in meal preparation is just too enticing. Fortunately, many of the best frozen soups and canned soups have increased in their nutritional value in recent years. Lower sodium and sugar levels keep health-conscious consumers stocking up. Thus, the canned and frozen soup industry is, once again, on the rise.

Entrepreneurs looking to make profits in the canned and frozen soup industry should keep in mind that while learning the business of canning or freezing soup may be relatively easy, learning and meeting FDA regulations for food products may prove quite a challenge. Canned and frozen soup education and training can benefit manufacturers in several ways:

1. By helping companies meet FDA standards, thus avoiding hefty fines and possible shutdown of facilities.

2. By providing essential knowledge of the canned and frozen soup industry, allowing manufacturers to make better business decisions based on consumer trends

3. By exploring new ways to enrich canned and frozen soup to increase customer satisfaction

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Educate yourself about FDA requirements for canned and frozen soup

The FDA has strict requirements for the manufacturing of canned and frozen food products. Understanding these requirements from the beginning of your venture can save you time and money down the road.

I recommend: Manufacturing requirements for the Food and Drug Administration are online. Subscribe to the Federal Registrar to obtain daily updates. K Line America lists regulations dealing with food shipment as well as the registration of food facilities with the FDA. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services very clearly outlines the specifics of the National Food Code.

Learn the fundamentals of canned soup and the food preservation process in general

Once you understand FDA requirements for canned and frozen soup, you can safely move ahead to learn the proper techniques for manufacturing these products and institute a training program for employees.

I recommend: Woodhead Publishing Limited offers a complete course in the business of canning covering everything from the initial business plan to the manufacturing of the finished product. The University of California offers a free 10-week training course on food preservation. Take a free online course about food canning through North Dakota State University. Find canned vegetable recipes on the University of Nebraska's Cook It Quick website.

Conduct several workshops covering the basics of the canned soup and frozen soup industry

As with any business venture, there are bound to be tangles and snags. Minimize staff errors by conducting workshops covering such topics as proper food handling, safe operation of equipment and proper disposal of wastes.

I recommend: Implement the National Environmental Health Association's Food Safety Training Program. Thiele Technologies offer off-site or in-house instructional programs for machine operators.

Implement proper training procedures to staff learning canned and frozen soup procedures

Not only should employers understand the handling of canned and frozen soup, but all staff members should have proper training. There are many programs that offer help for employers wishing to instill proper food handling techniques to their staff.

I recommend: The Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition offers tips for effective training in the food industry. The Michigan Department of Agriculture has an informative portal that includes a Food Safety Training Database. Employers can find answers to many food safety training questions on this site.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Soup frozen does not have an indefinite shelf life, nor does soup canned. Manufacturers should include in their training a definite plan to implement speed of manufacturing. Soups should move out quickly to ensure the consumer has the longest amount of time possible for consuming soups before the expiration date.