Campbell's Tomato Soup Vs. Amy's Organic Cream of Tomato

My family loves tomato soup with a passion. We'll eat it with tuna fish, grilled cheese sandwiches, sour cream, and even sirloin steak upon occasion. Heck, we'd even eat tomato soup with a side of tomatoes if the opportunity presented itself. For years we only stocked our favorite brand of tomato soup, Campbell's, in our pantry-usually with enough cans to last us the rest of our lives (just in case we'd need a lifetime supply in the event of nuclear fallout or something.) Recently, however, my wife brought home a tomato soup can bearing a label with a name frighteningly unfamiliar to us: Amy's Organic Soup. Specifically, Cream of Tomato.

At first my family panicked. Gone was the familiar Campbell's can next to the stove, with its comforting red-and-white label and promise of tomato-y goodness. "Just give it a try," my wife urged, and-with reluctance (and maybe a little whining)-Amy's tomatoes were sampled for the very first time in our household. Would organic soup satisfy us the way Campbell's had done for so long? The results surprised all of us, none moreso than myself.

1. Price

As with most price comparisons between organic and non-organic products, Campbell's wins the price test hands-down. At my local store I can buy Campbell's Tomato Soup for $2.50; most of Campbell's other products fall in the same price range. One can of Amy's Organic Cream of Tomato Soup, on the other hand, goes for closer to $4.00-not a big deal for most people, but when you buy roughly half of the world's supply of tomato soup every year, the dollars can quickly add up. Campbell's wins this category without a doubt, but this raises an important question: when do the added benefits of buying organic outweigh the higher cost?

2. Health

My family is health-conscious by necessity. We have a family history of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and cancer on both sides, so we do what we can to maintain a healthy lifestyle. While soup is generally healthy, the high salt and fat content can be of concern. Campbell's tries to combat high sodium content by offering "Healthy Request" alternatives to many of their soups (including tomato), but even those soups are still fairly high in sodium. We offset this problem with other low-sodium foods in our diet so it normally isn't a problem for us. Amy's Organic tomato is actually lower in salt content than Campbell's, but not by much. Amy's tomato soup does, however, offer a lower fat content and organic, non-processed ingredients, so in the health category Amy's Organic edges out the competition by a margin.

3. Taste

Admittedly, taste is a subjective matter; not everyone will feel the same about a certain food, and for every ten people that sample a product you're guaranteed to get eleven different opinions. That said, Amy's Organic tomato soup seems to be a little creamier than Campbell's Tomato Soup if you don't add anything to either of them. If you drop a little sour cream into each brand of soup, though, they both seem about even in that department. (It also depends on if you make the soup with a water or milk base, so keep that in mind when you're figuring out how creamy you want it.) Campbell's regular tomato soup tastes saltier than Amy's (maybe because it is), but the "Healthy Request" version of Campbell's tomato tastes about as salty as its organic counterpart. Amy's tomato is also slightly more acidic than Campbell's, but that difference is taken away if you add a neutral base like milk or sour cream.

In the end, it's your taste buds and your own preferences that will determine which one you like. If it's any indication, my family now sports cans from both brands in our pantry. Campbell's is still our first love, of course, but we found room in our hearts-and stomachs-for Amy's Organic as well.