Swanson

Last updated

Swanson Frozen Foods/Broths
Type Private (1899–1955)
Foundedc. 1899 in Omaha, Nebraska
Founder Carl A. Swanson
FateAcquired by Campbell's in 1955, became a brand
Headquarters,
Products Frozen food, broth
Owner Campbell's
Website campbells.com/swanson

Swanson is a brand of TV dinners, broths, and canned poultry made for the North American and Hong Kong markets. The former Swanson Company was founded in Omaha, Nebraska, where it developed improvements of the frozen dinner. The TV dinner business is currently owned by Conagra Brands, while the broth business is currently owned by the Campbell Soup Company. TV dinner products currently sold under the brand include Swanson's Classics TV dinners and pot pies, and the current broth lineup includes chicken broth and beef broth.[ citation needed ]

Contents

History

Swanson chicken pot pie Frozen Swanson chicken pot pie, June 2018.jpg
Swanson chicken pot pie

Carl A. Swanson (1879–1949) was a Swedish immigrant who worked on a farm in Blair, Nebraska, until he moved to Omaha. There, he worked in a grocery store where he came into contact with John O. Jerpe, who owned a small commission company, in which Swanson would become a partner in 1899. [1] Initially, the Jerpe Commission Company purchased eggs and cream from local farmers. In turn, they processed the eggs, made butter from the cream, and sold these products to distributors and charged a commission to the farmers. With Swanson as a partner in the company, it began to expand. The Jerpe Commission Company began to sell chicken, turkey, and other meat. Swanson would eventually buy the company from Jerpe and rename it C.A. Swanson and Sons, as his sons Gilbert and Clarke had joined the business. [1]

World War II

The frozen food industry began to dramatically change surrounding the time of World War II. As men were required on the battlefield, women became more needed in the workforce. [2] This limited the amount of available time women could spend preparing meals for their children. Women began to rely on TV dinners post-war for greater convenience, and to save time. [2]

Frozen dinners

Carl Swanson died in 1949, and his sons Gilbert C. and W. Clarke took over the company. One year later, in 1950, the Swanson brothers initially began manufacturing frozen oven-ready chicken and turkey pot pies in aluminum trays. [1] They branched into full meals after Swanson executive Gerry Thomas visited the distributor of a company that specialized in preparing food for airlines. The company packed the food in aluminum trays which could be heated in a conventional oven. Thomas proposed this idea to the Swanson brothers, suggesting they create an aluminum tray with three compartments: one compartment for frozen turkey slices and the other two for side dishes. The Swanson Company's first frozen dinner was a turkey dinner; eventually, the company added chicken and beef entrées. [1] With over half of American households owning televisions by the 1950s, the Swanson brothers called their frozen meals "TV dinners," suitable for eating on a folding tray in one's living room while watching television. [3]

TV dinner brand

A Swanson "Hungry-Man Country Fried Chicken" TV dinner 2020-02-27 00 31 49 A Hungry-Man Country Fried Chicken TV dinner before being heated in the Franklin Farm section of Oak Hill, Fairfax County, Virginia.jpg
A Swanson "Hungry-Man Country Fried Chicken" TV dinner

The Swanson & Sons' TV dinner branded frozen meal sold 5,000 units when it was first introduced in 1953; just one year later, the company had sold over 10,000,000 TV dinners. The company discontinued its successful butter and margarine business to concentrate on a poultry-based line of canned and frozen products. In April 1955, Swanson's 4,000 employees and 20 plants were acquired by the Campbell Soup Company. [4] By 1956, the Swanson brothers were selling 13 million TV dinners annually. [1]

For the majority of its run, Swanson sponsored the game show, The Name's the Same , with Robert Q. Lewis, alternating sponsorship with the Bendix Home Appliance division of Avco, and then Johnson's Wax. In a few 1980s and 1990s commercials for the TV dinner, the announcer was Mason Adams.[ citation needed ]

1970s to present

When Swanson's TV dinners launched in the 1950s, the product competed primarily with home-cooked food, and was developed with a relatively low price point for the consumer. By the 1970s, the increasing number of two-income families and single working parents shifted competition to restaurant food, either eaten at the restaurant or ordered to take home. During this period, American consumers were increasingly exposed to a greater variety of international cuisines and more sophisticated flavors, and the consumer was also growing more nutrition-conscious and discerning. Competing in this new environment required more expensive ingredients, but Swanson was slow to change its traditional menus, and slow to recognize the increasing importance of the microwave oven in the heat-and-eat food market. It continued to use non-microwaveable foil trays long after competitors had adopted microwaveable paper and plastic trays. Swanson eventually introduced a new line of frozen dinners called "Le Menu" in the 1980s which featured more sophisticated menus on undivided plastic microwavable plates with lids. But by then, the company was competing with many other strong brands, such as Stouffer's. Stouffer's had also begun targeting the diet market with its reduced-calorie Lean Cuisine frozen meal line. Swanson trailed behind these developments.

In March 1998, Campbell Soup spun-off the Swanson frozen meal business along with several other brands, including Vlasic, to a company called Vlasic Foods International; the company was re-branded Pinnacle Foods in 2001. In the spin-off, Campbell Soup granted Pinnacle a ten-year license to use the Swanson name on frozen meals and pot pies. That agreement expired in mid-2009, just before Pinnacle purchased Birds Eye Foods. Pinnacle continued to produce frozen meals, but it discontinued the use of the Swanson name in favor of the Hungry-Man brand; however, it remained in use for pot pies. Swanson's frozen breakfast line was re-branded Aunt Jemima several years before. On June 27, 2018, Conagra Brands announced the acquisition of Pinnacle Foods for $8.1 billion. [5] The acquisition closed on October 26, 2018.

International operations

A bus advertising Swanson broth in Hong Kong in 2008 HK CWB Tai Hang Moreton Terrace Bus Station Citybus 592 Swanson ads.JPG
A bus advertising Swanson broth in Hong Kong in 2008

Adolf Ho Ping-yau, managing director for the Campbell Soup Company in Hong Kong, introduced the Swanson brand to Hong Kong in 1987. Ho introduced Swanson chicken broth to the Hong Kong market following a visit to a Campbell's factory in the United States, in which he saw excess chicken soup created during the production of TV dinners going to waste due to a lack of demand for chicken broth in the US. As of 2004, Swanson chicken broth is Campbell's best-selling product in Hong Kong, and the Swanson line of soup products have a market share of 90% in Hong Kong. [6]

Tributes

A branch of the Omaha Public Library is named for W. Clarke Swanson. [7]

See also

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cantonese cuisine</span> Chinese regional cuisine from Guangdong

Cantonese or Guangdong cuisine, also known as Yue cuisine is the cuisine of Guangdong province of China, particularly the provincial capital Guangzhou, and the surrounding regions in the Pearl River Delta including Hong Kong and Macau. Strictly speaking, Cantonese cuisine is the cuisine of Guangzhou or of Cantonese speakers, but it often includes the cooking styles of all the speakers of Yue Chinese languages in Guangdong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frozen meal</span> Pre-packaged frozen prepared food

A frozen meal, prepackaged meal, ready-made meal, ready meal (UK), frozen dinner, and microwave meal is ultra-processed food portioned for an individual. A frozen meal in the United States and Canada usually consists of a type of meat, fish, or pasta for the main course, and sometimes vegetables, potatoes, and/or a dessert. Some frozen meals feature Indian, Chinese, Mexican, and other foods of international customs. Another form of convenience food, which is merely a refrigerated ready meal that requires less heating but expires sooner, is popular.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conagra Brands</span> American multinational consumer packaged goods holding company

Conagra Brands, Inc. is an American consumer packaged goods holding company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Conagra makes and sells products under various brand names that are available in supermarkets, restaurants, and food service establishments. Based on its 2021 revenue, the company ranked 331st on the 2022 Fortune 500.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vlasic Pickles</span> Company specializing in pickled products

Vlasic is an American brand of pickles that is currently owned by Conagra Brands. Since its introduction in 1942, it has become one of the most popular pickle brands in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kid Cuisine</span> Brand of frozen meals

Kid Cuisine is a brand of packaged frozen meals created in 1990, and it is marketed by Conagra Foods. Described as a "frozen food version of a Happy Meal", the product is marketed towards children, while assuring parents of nutritional benefits. The mascot of the brand is a penguin named K.C., while the former was a different penguin named B.J. and a polar bear named "The Chef".

Gerry Thomas was a Canadian who moved to the US to become a salesman. He is sometimes credited with inventing the TV Dinner in 1952. Thomas, who worked for the Swanson food company in America in the 1950s and went public with his account decades later, said he designed the company's famous three-compartment aluminum tray after seeing a similar tray used by Pan Am Airways. He also said he coined the name "TV Dinner," brainstormed the idea of having the packaging resemble a TV set, and contributed the recipe for the cornbread stuffing. Thomas later said he was uncomfortable with being called the "father" of the TV dinner, because he felt he just built upon existing ideas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banquet Foods</span> Frozen food brand

Banquet Foods is a subsidiary of Conagra Brands that sells various food products, including frozen pre-made entrées, meals, and desserts. The brand is best known for its line of TV dinners.

Bisto is a popular and well-known brand of gravy and other food products in the United Kingdom and Ireland, currently owned by Premier Foods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pinnacle Foods</span> Packaged foods company

Pinnacle Foods, Inc., is a packaged foods company headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey, that specializes in shelf-stable and frozen foods. The company became a subsidiary of Conagra Brands on October 26, 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tatar cuisine</span> Cuisine of the Tatar people

Tatar cuisine is primarily the cuisine of the Volga Tatars, who live in Tatarstan, Russia, and surrounding areas.

Sara's Secrets was a Food Network show hosted by Sara Moulton who was the executive chef of Gourmet magazine. Sara’s Secrets aired from 2002 until 2007. Sara's Secrets offers the viewer recipes and techniques specifically focused to fit the viewer's busy lifestyle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lean Cuisine</span> Brand of frozen entrées

Lean Cuisine is a brand of frozen entrées and dinners sold in the United States by Nestlé, and in Australia by Vesco. The brand began as low-fat, low-calorie versions of Stouffer's products. Today, Lean Cuisine includes traditional dinners, ethnic dishes, pizzas, whole-grain Spa Cuisine entreés, and panini. The headquarters of Lean Cuisine in the United States is located in Solon, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicken and dumplings</span> Chicken-based soup

Chicken and dumplings is a soup that consists of a chicken cooked in water, with the resulting chicken broth being used to cook the dumplings by boiling. A dumpling—in this context—is a biscuit dough, which is a mixture of flour, shortening, and liquid. The dumplings are either rolled out flat, dropped, or formed into a ball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gardein</span> Line of foods by Conagra Brands

Gardein is a line of meat-free foods produced by Conagra Brands. In 2003, the company was founded by Yves Potvin, who remained as the CEO of Gardein until 2016. In November 2014, Pinnacle Foods purchased Gardein for $154 million. Pinnacle was acquired by Conagra in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soup</span> Primarily liquid food

Soup is a primarily liquid food, generally served warm or hot, that is made by combining ingredients of meat or vegetables with stock, milk, or water. Hot soups are additionally characterized by boiling solid ingredients in liquids in a pot until the flavors are extracted, forming a broth. Soups are similar to stews, and in some cases there may not be a clear distinction between the two; however, soups generally have more liquid (broth) than stews.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Campbell Soup Company</span> American food manufacturer

The Campbell Soup Company, doing business as Campbell's, is an American company, most closely associated with its flagship canned soup products; however through mergers and acquisitions, it has grown to become one of the largest processed food companies in the United States with a wide variety of products under its flagship Campbell's brand as well as other brands including Pepperidge Farm, Snyder's of Hanover, V8, and Swanson. With its namesake brand Campbell's produces soups and other canned foods, baked goods, beverages, and snacks. It is headquartered in Camden, New Jersey.

Looney Tunes Meals were a line of frozen dinners released by Tyson Foods in 1990. They were based on the characters from the eponymous Warner Bros. cartoons and targeted primarily at children. The meals were discontinued in late 1993 because of declining sales.

Betty Cronin was an American bacteriologist and co-author of Campbell’s Great American Cookbook. Some call her "the mother of TV dinners", though the development of the idea has several claimants. She started her career in 1950 working for the Swanson brothers. Later, she moved on to work for Campbell’s Soups which bought out the Swanson brothers’ company, C. A. Swanson and Sons, in 1955. She was director at Campbell’s microwave institute in Camden, New Jersey.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Smith, Andrew F. (2009). Eating History: 30 Turning Points in the Making of American Cuisine. New York: Columbia University Press. pp. 170–172. ISBN   978-0-2311-4092-8 . Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  2. 1 2 Gust, Laurent (2011). "Defrosting Dinner: The Evolution of Frozen Meals in America". Intersect. 4 (1): 51.
  3. Horwitz, Jamie (August 1, 2009). "Eating at the Edge" . Gastronomica: The Journal of Critical Food Studies. 9 (3): 44. doi:10.1525/gfc.2009.9.3.42 . Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  4. "Campbell Soup Co. Plans to Buy C. A. Swanson & Sons of Omaha – Camden Concern with 9 Plants in U.S. and Canada Would Acquire Producer of Frozen Specialties by Stock Deal". The New York Times . May 4, 1955. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved February 27, 2017.
  5. Naidu, Richa; Venugopal, Aishwarya (June 27, 2018). "Conagra to buy Pinnacle for $8.1 billion, creating frozen food powerhouse". Reuters . Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  6. "金寶湯舵手 靠雞食糊". Apple Daily (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). June 10, 2004. Archived from the original on July 26, 2020. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  7. "W. Clarke Swanson Branch". Omaha Public Library. Retrieved October 25, 2021.