Campbell’s soup is one of those pantry staples that most of us grew up with. Whether your favorite was Chicken Noodle or Vegetable Beef, that red and white can was always ready to become a warm bowl of comfort. Yet, despite seeing a Campbell’s soup can nearly every time you opened the cupboard, you may have overlooked a key element sitting front and center on the label: a bronze medal. Go ahead, take a look if you have a can of Campbell’s soup in your cabinet right now. There it is, smack dab in the middle of the can, bridging the red and white portions of the label. Now that you’re aware of it, you can’t unsee it. So why is that medal there? The origin of the medallion on the Campbell’s soup label dates back to the 1900 Paris Exposition. As the story goes, a company executive recommended the red and white color scheme in 1898 after seeing the uniforms of the Cornell University football team. Then, Campbell’s soup won a bronze medal at the 1900 Paris Exposition for its condensed formula, which was revolutionary for preserving its ingredients. Now they needed to commemorate the prize, and the soup cans seemed like a natural choice. All of Campbell’s condensed soups have the medal on the label — except for its Cheddar Cheese soup, which has a graphic depicting a hunk of cheese instead. You also won’t find it on Campbell’s Chunky, Slow Kettle, or Homestyle soups because they’re not condensed. The medal is also missing from the 99% fat free soups. Over the years, Campbell’s has made some minor tweaks to the font and added small images that depict the condensed soup flavor, but other than that, it has stayed pretty consistent over the years. The gold medal is still there and will remain there.
