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Pantry · Product label guide

Broths & soups: compare ingredients, then choose.

Updated

Compare bone broths, vegetable soups, and seasoned broths by their complete formula.

The short answer

Our picks for broths & soups

Top of the shelfAnnie's Organic Star Pasta & Chicken Soup, Annie's Organic Tomato Soup, and Annie's Organic Chicken Noodle Soup each score 100/100. 8 products tie at 100; these 3 have the shortest labels. Use Compare by in the table to separate the rest.

Also strongKirkland Signature Chicken Organic Stock (100), Amy's Lentil Organic Soups (100), and Annie's Organic Vegetable Soup with Farm-Shaped Pasta (100).

Clear noKnorr Shrimp Bouillon (lists seed oils, artificial dyes, MSG and corn syrups), College Inn Beef Broth (lists seed oils), Better Than Bouillon Premium Fish Base (lists seed oils), plus 2 more with a listed group. We also can’t vouch for the 31 products without a verified current label; treat them as “not yet”.

Ranked from 61 of 92 products with current labels. Every product is in the table below; a score reflects labels and claims, not nutrition, allergies or safety.

Compare the recorded labels

Find the ingredients that matter to you.

92 of 92 products

“No …” columns: None found on the label · Listed on the label · Unknown. Diet fit: Fits · Doesn’t fit · Unknown (rules; not medical advice). Claims: verified · not established. Default: most check marks first; not a health score.

Compare product claims and recorded ingredients. Click a column heading to sort.
Buy
100 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · organicProduct details →5
100 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · organicFind where to buy ↗Product details →5
100 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · organicFind where to buy ↗Product details →5
100 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · organicFind where to buy ↗Product details →5
100 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · organicFind where to buy ↗Product details →5
100 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · organicProduct details →5
100 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · organicFind where to buy ↗Product details →5
100 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · organicProduct details →5
75 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · no organic claimFind where to buy ↗Product details →5
75 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · no organic claimFind where to buy ↗Product details →5
75 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · no organic claimFind where to buy ↗Product details →5
71 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · no organic claimProduct details →4
71 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · no organic claimProduct details →4
71 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · no organic claimProduct details →4
71 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · no organic claimProduct details →4
71 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · no organic claimFind where to buy ↗Product details →4
71 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · no organic claimFind where to buy ↗Product details →4
71 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · no organic claimFind where to buy ↗Product details →4
71 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · no organic claimFind where to buy ↗Product details →4
71 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · no organic claimFind where to buy ↗Product details →4
How the clean score works

No setup needed, and strict: a full 100 needs every additive group clear and a verified organic claim (animal foods also need a verified grass-fed or pasture-raised claim; wild seafood and salt, which have no USDA organic standard, are scored without the organic points, and plant-based milks, cheeses and proteins without the feeding claim). Points: the nine additive groups (seed oils, artificial dyes, MSG, artificial sweeteners, carrageenan, artificial preservatives, hydrogenated oils, corn syrups, banned-abroad additives) share 60 points equally — not found earns a group’s full share, “may contain” earns half, listed earns 0; a verified organic claim is worth 25; a verified grass-fed or pasture-raised claim is worth 15 and counts only for animal foods. No claim, or an expired or unverified claim, earns nothing, so products without those claims cannot reach 100. Unverified or expired ingredient labels receive no score. Equal scores are equal. Ties are ordered by brand. Unknown and stale evidence never passes “Only show matches.” Producer claims and prices do not affect this score. This is not a nutrition, allergy, or safety rating.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Buying links do not influence ingredient results. “Buy on Amazon” opens a reviewed product listing; “Find where to buy” opens the maker’s page. Confirm the package, seller, stock, and current price before checkout. Price observations expire after 30 days.

The full guide · Pantry

Choosing broths & soups: what to check before you buy

Choose the format and role first: broth for cooking, a concentrate to dilute or a soup to eat as a meal. Compare sodium after preparation and check whether a bone-broth product provides the protein you expect.

Use the same prepared volume when comparing cans, cartons and powders. Read dilution and storage instructions, and check cream, noodles or seasonings for ingredients that matter to your recipe or household.

What the labels on this shelf show

We track 92 products from 32 brands on the broths & soups shelf. 61 have a complete, current ingredient label on record (66%), which is what lets us score them. The other 31 stay unscored until the maker publishes a full label; a missing label is “not yet”, never a pass.

Of the 61 scored labels, 56 (92%) list none of the nine additive groups we check. The group that appears most is seed oils, listed on 5 labels, followed by artificial dyes on 1. 8 scored products carry a verified organic claim, which adds points. Scores here run from 39 to 100, and the typical label lists 10 ingredients.

What to compare

Prepared sodium
Compare sodium for the same volume after any required dilution.
Broth or meal
Check protein and ingredients for the role you want it to serve.
Seasoning and allergens
Review yeast extract, spices, dairy and noodles when relevant.
Preparation and storage
Compare concentrates, powders and ready-to-use formats with their directions.

The best picks, in detail

These are the highest-scoring broths & soups products on current labels. 8 products tie at 100, so we put the shortest ingredient lists first; Always match the exact flavor and package before you buy.

  1. Annie's Organic Star Pasta & Chicken Soup 100/100

    Why it ranks here: no tracked additive group on the label, a verified organic claim. Label: “Chicken Broth* (water, chicken broth*), Chicken Meat* (chicken meat*, water, tapioca starch*, sea salt), Carrots*, Pasta* (semolina wheat*, dried egg white*).”

    Find where to buy ↗Maker’s label source
  2. Annie's Organic Tomato Soup 100/100

    Why it ranks here: no tracked additive group on the label, a verified organic claim. Label: “Tomato Puree* (water, tomato paste*), Water, Cane Sugar*, Corn Starch*.”

    Find where to buy ↗Maker’s label source
  3. Annie's Organic Chicken Noodle Soup 100/100

    Why it ranks here: no tracked additive group on the label, a verified organic claim. Label: “Chicken Broth* (water, chicken broth*), Chicken Meat* (chicken meat*, water, tapioca starch*, sea salt), Carrots*, Egg Noodles* (semolina wheat*, egg*, egg white*), Celery*.”

    Find where to buy ↗Maker’s label source
  4. Kirkland Signature Chicken Organic Stock 100/100

    Why it ranks here: no tracked additive group on the label, a verified organic claim. Label: “ORGANIC CHICKEN STOCK, ORGANIC VEGETABLE STOCK (ORGANIC CARROT, ORGANIC CELERY ROOT, ORGAINIC ONION JUICE CONCENTRATE), SEA SALT, NATURAL ROASTED FLAVOR, ORGANIC FLAVOR, ORGANIC TURMERIC CONCENTRATE, ORGANIC GROUND BAY LEAVES AND ORGANIC BLACK PEPPER EXTRACT.”

    Maker’s label source
  5. Amy's Lentil Organic Soups 100/100

    Why it ranks here: no tracked additive group on the label, a verified organic claim. Label: “FILTERED WATER, ORGANIC GREEN LENTILS, ORGANIC CELERY, ORGANIC CARROTS, ORGANIC ONIONS, ORGANIC POTATOES, ORGANIC EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL, SEA SALT, ORGANIC SPICES.”

    Maker’s label source
  6. Annie's Organic Vegetable Soup with Farm-Shaped Pasta 100/100

    Why it ranks here: no tracked additive group on the label, a verified organic claim. Label: “Water, Celery*, Corn*, Onion*, Carrots*, Tomato Paste*, Carrot Puree*, Peas*, Pasta* (semolina wheat*, egg white*).”

    Find where to buy ↗Maker’s label source

What to skip, and why

These scored products list at least one group on their current label. That is the clearest reason to pass if you are avoiding those ingredients.

The 31 products without a verified label are a separate “not yet”: we have no recorded ingredient list to check, so we cannot say they are clean or flagged.

Your preferences, explained

The clean score is strict and needs no setup: nine additive groups not found in a current ingredient statement, plus a verified organic claim (and a grass-fed or pasture-raised claim for animal foods), are needed for 100; a possible match earns half and a missing claim earns nothing. Missing or expired evidence stays unknown. It does not assess nutrition, allergies, contaminants, or safety.

References

  1. How much sodium should I eat per day? American Heart Association
  2. Sodium in your diet U.S. Food and Drug Administration
  3. Protein Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
  4. 21 CFR 101.22: spices, flavors, and colors on labels Code of Federal Regulations

An ingredient check is not a nutrition, contaminant, allergy or safety assessment. How we verify labels →