When I was a boy and had a tummy ache, my mommy would reach for a can of Campbell’s chicken noodle soup, always a trusty remedy for my upset stomach. Truthfully, mom wasn’t much of a cook, so the convenience of spending a minute and a half instead of one to two hours making it from scratch was right up her alley.
Today, my bride makes her own chicken soup from her own recipe, which takes much longer than opening a can of Campbell’s, and she uses real ingredients, not all those artificial flavors whose names I can’t pronounce. Still, there was a distinctive taste that I enjoyed that has stayed with me all these years. (Maybe it was just a lifelong aftertaste? But I digress.)
Recently, I spotted the favorite soup of my youth on the grocery store shelf and thought I should buy a couple of cans to keep in the pantry just in case I might need a quick remedy. Well, wouldn’t you know, it was just a few days later I did. To my disappointment, it didn’t taste the same as I remembered. Did they change the recipe? I wondered.
A quick visit to Google proved that they did. Eleven years ago! My memory of fine dining was destroyed forever. To satisfy consumers who were looking for more natural foods, Campbell’s removed 10 artificial ingredients and additives. They included maltodextrin, disodium guanylate, disodium inosinate and … forget it. Suffice to say, they weren’t part of any chicken I have ever met. They also axed vegetable oil and celery. Can you believe that?
They even changed the name of the company from Campbell’s Soup to just Campbell’s. (Their version of the Witness Protection Program lest the company executives get harassed by irate customers whose memories and taste buds were offended like mine.) To add insult to injury, the soup is made in … wait for it … China! Campbell’s just licenses the name. According to the Wall Street Journal, Campbell’s stock has continued to tank. Wonder why?
Campbell’s isn’t the only staple of my youth to change. According to Reddit, the online social media platform, Pepsi Cola changed its recipe three years ago to reduce sugar and add artificial sweeteners. (What? Campbell’s is reducing artificial ingredients and Pepsi is adding them!) When I was a kid, Pepsi had a unique taste to distinguish itself from Coca-Cola. I remember sticking my hand into the ice-cold water of a cooler and plucking out a tasty glass bottle. (The Pepsi, not the bottle.) Now I limit my Pepsi input to Sunday pizza night.
Coke changed its formula back in 1903 to eliminate a trace of cocaine. Since then, the iconic cola has adhered to its original formula, except when they introduced “New Coke,” which failed badly. Other foods that have changed include Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, which was once banned in Norway and Austria. Oreo cookies, Heinz ketchup and Doritos aren’t what they used to be, either.
Calvin of the Calvin and Hobbes cartoon said, “Day by day, nothing seems to change, but pretty soon everything is different.”
So true, and it is enough to give me a tummy ache.
Mattapoisett resident Dick Morgado is an artist and happily retired writer. His newspaper columns appeared for many years in daily newspapers around Boston.
By Dick Morgado