Continente Introduces Soups Without Added Salt

Portuguese retailer Continente has expanded its Equilíbrio soups range to include SKUs without added salt, colourings, or preservatives.

The additions include watercress and coriander, carrot cream, mint and ginger soups seasoned with aromatic herbs and spices.

Produced in Portugal using quality fresh vegetables and extra virgin olive oil, the soups are available in Continente stores as well as online, in 800-gram family packs, priced at €2.49.

The retailer added that excessive salt consumption, amounting to more than 5 grams per day, poses health risks.

Better Nutrition

As a leading food retail brand in Portugal, Continente has pledged to improve the nutritional composition of its products to help reduce the excessive consumption of sugars, salt and fats.

Mayumi Thais Delgado, nutritionist at Continente, explained, "In order to help combat the excessive consumption of salt by the Portuguese, the new Continente Equilíbrio soups were developed without any addition of salt, but maintaining all the flavour through the addition of aromatic herbs and spices.

"The entire range of the brand's soups is also reducing the salt content of its recipes, so they can be integrated into a balanced diet that meets the DGS goal of reducing, on average, 0.3g of salt per 100g by 2023."

Other Initiatives

Continente has been gradually reducing the salt content in its entire range of soups.

Currently, more than 15 products in its range already feature low salt content, meeting the 0.3 grams of salt per 100-gram target.

By 2022, the retailer expects to reduce around 4 tonnes of salt from Continente soups.

Over the past two years, Continente has concluded nutritional optimisation plans for more than 200 products, translating into annual reductions of 650 tonnes of sugar, 85 tonnes of salt, and 385 tonnes of saturated fat.

The range includes reformulated yoghurts, cereals, biscuits, soft drinks, french fries, tomato pulp, and take-away soups.

According to Ana Alves, Continente commercial and private-label director,  Continente seeks to continuously improve the nutritional composition of its products.

"The Continente Equilíbrio brand is unique in the national market for presenting a wide and differentiating offer of nutritionally balanced products that emphasise taste and are within everyone's reach, always at the lowest prices. The consumer does not have to choose between taste, healthy food or price," Alves added.