CO-BRANDED LUNCH-ORIENTED LINE INTRODUCED BY CAMPBELL, SWANSON

RICHARD TURCSIK

CAMDEN, N.J. -- Campbell Soup Co. here has introduced a new 13-product lunch-oriented line to its Swanson brand that is co-branded with Campbell's Soup in an attempt to capture both frozens and center store soup sales.

The new Swanson Lunch and More Casseroles line made its debut late last month and includes seven frozen, single-serve casseroles that use Campbell's Soup as a key ingredient. The casseroles have a suggested retail of $1.59 and consist of chicken and noodle, chicken & rice stir-fry, tuna noodle casserole, cheesy vegetable lasagna, three cheese macaroni bake, macaroni and beef with tomato sauce and lasagna with meat sauce.

The line is packaged in teal boxes with a red flag reading, "Made with the goodness of Campbell's Soup." Recipes are printed on the back of the box for consumers who wish to make family-size servings of the casseroles from scratch.

"We're looking for that cross-pollination," Elizabeth Hanlin, a Campbell's Soup Co. spokeswoman, told SN. "We're not concerned about cannibalization because it is two totally different markets. You have people who make casseroles for their family and people who are looking for that quick homestyle lunch. It is two different eating occasions."

Lunch and More also has six traditional two-compartment entrees with a suggested retail of $1.79. Varieties include turkey with mashed potatoes, salisbury steak with mashed potatoes, breaded fish with macaroni and cheese, meatloaf with peas and carrots, chicken strips with home fries and pork rib patty with "bake-in-tray" corn bread.

Hanlin did not rule out the possibility that Campbell's might look for other co-branding options in the future, including its Pepperidge Farm baked goods subsidiary.

"Co-branding is a smart thing to do, and we have a great stable brand. So if there is an opportunity, I'm sure we would pursue it," she said.

The Lunch and More line is being backed with a national freestanding insert that drops this month and print ads in women's service books and general-interest magazines.