Pacific vs Swanson Chicken Broth: 530mg vs 860mg Sodium

Pacific Foods Organic Free Range Chicken Broth has less sodium than Swanson Chicken Broth: 530 mg (23% DV) vs 860 mg (37% DV) per 1 Cup (240mL) serving. Swanson lists 0 g added sugars while Pacific lists less than 1 g, and the two ingredient lists name their flavorings differently.

Key takeaways

• Per 1 Cup (240mL), Pacific lists 530 mg sodium (23% DV) and Swanson lists 860 mg (37% DV). The FDA treats 20% DV or more per serving as high.
• Pacific lists less than 1 g added sugars (1% DV) per cup. Swanson lists 0 g added sugars. Both list less than 1 g total sugars.
• Swanson lists Natural Flavoring and Yeast Extract. Pacific lists Organic Chicken Flavor and no yeast extract on its ingredient list.
• Swanson's page says it contains no added MSG and notes that glutamate occurs naturally in its ingredients. Both brands are presented by The Campbell's Company.

Pacific vs Swanson Chicken Broth: Which Has Less Sodium Per Cup?

Pacific Foods Organic Free Range Chicken Broth lists less sodium per cup, 530 mg (23% DV), than Swanson Chicken Broth at 860 mg (37% DV), based on a 1 Cup (240mL) serving. The two labels match on calories, fat, cholesterol, and protein.

Label line (per 1 Cup, 240mL)	Pacific Organic Free Range	Swanson Chicken Broth
Calories	10	10
Total fat	0 g	0 g
Cholesterol	0 mg	0 mg
Sodium	530 mg (23% DV)	860 mg (37% DV)
Total carbohydrate	Less than 1 g	Less than 1 g
Total sugars	Less than 1 g	Less than 1 g
Added sugars	Less than 1 g (1% DV)	0 g
Protein	1 g	1 g
Potassium	70 mg	40 mg
Flavor-related ingredients	Organic Chicken Flavor	Natural Flavoring, Yeast Extract
Claims on the product page	USDA Certified Organic, non-GMO ingredients, free of gluten and fat	Gluten-free, non-GMO ingredients, no added MSG*

The per-cup sodium gap is 330 mg. The FDA sets the Daily Value for sodium at less than 2,300 mg per day and considers 20% DV or more per serving high, so both per-cup figures fall in the range the FDA labels high.

For another sodium-per-serving comparison, see Which Has More Sodium, French's or Grey Poupon? 55 vs 115 mg.

Does Swanson Chicken Broth Have MSG?

No added MSG: Swanson's product page says the broth contains no added MSG, with a footnote reading "*glutamate occurs naturally in ingredients in this product." In plain terms, the label says MSG is not added, while glutamate, one of the components of MSG, can occur naturally in some ingredients. The ingredient list does not name monosodium glutamate.

The verified label facts for Pacific include no MSG statement, so this comparison cannot say whether Pacific makes the same claim. Neither label discloses how much free glutamate either broth contains, so the label alone does not give a glutamate amount. For another product where the MSG question comes up, see Hidden Valley vs Ken's Ranch: Both Have MSG, 130 vs 140 Calories.

Does Pacific Chicken Broth Have Sugar?

Yes, in small amounts: Pacific Organic Free Range Chicken Broth lists less than 1 g total sugars and less than 1 g added sugars (1% DV) per 1 Cup (240mL) serving. Swanson lists less than 1 g total sugars and 0 g added sugars for the same serving size.

The Pacific label does not say which ingredient supplies its added sugar, and the source and exact amount behind the less-than-1-g line are not disclosed. The FDA sets the Daily Value for added sugars at 50 grams per day, and the Pacific panel shows 1% DV for that line. For a comparison of added sugar per serving in another pantry staple, see Rao's vs Prego: Added Sugar 0 g vs 4 g per Half Cup.

Is Pacific Organic Free Range Chicken Broth Healthy?

The label facts cannot settle whether this broth is healthy. Per 1 Cup (240mL), the label shows 10 calories, 0 g total fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 530 mg sodium (23% DV), 1 g protein, and 70 mg potassium, and those numbers describe the product rather than its effect on any person's health.

The product page calls the broth "USDA Certified Organic," made from non-GMO ingredients, and free of gluten and fat. Those are certification and labeling claims, and they do not by themselves measure nutritional value. Whether a broth fits a diet depends on the rest of what a person eats, their sodium needs, and any health conditions. People who track sodium for medical reasons should check the Nutrition Facts panel on the exact container and ask a clinician for individual guidance.

What Is Natural Flavoring in Swanson Chicken Broth and Organic Chicken Flavor in Pacific?

Neither label says what its flavoring is made of: Swanson lists "Natural Flavoring" and Pacific lists "Organic Chicken Flavor."

A flavoring term tells a shopper that a flavor is present, not which specific compounds it contains. Pacific lists Organic Chicken Flavor as a separate line after Organic Chicken Broth, while Swanson lists Natural Flavoring after Salt and before Mirepoix, and lists Yeast Extract near the end of its list.

Are Pacific Foods and Swanson Owned by the Same Company?

Yes. The Campbell's Company presents both brands as its own. The company's newsroom states: "Explore our new offerings featuring trending flavors from Swanson and Pacific Foods" and "With new options from Swanson and Pacific Foods, our broths are here to make every season more delicious."

Shared ownership does not mean the two labels match. What matters for a label comparison is that the two products differ on sodium, flavor-related ingredients, and yeast extract, as shown above.

Which Chicken Broth Has the Least Sodium and Added Sugar on the Label?

On the labels, Pacific Organic Free Range has less sodium per cup (530 mg versus 860 mg), while Swanson lists 0 g added sugars against Pacific's less than 1 g (1% DV). Those two gaps point in different directions, so the answer depends on which number matters to the shopper.

Both figures use the same 1 Cup (240mL) serving, so the comparison is direct. Swanson's page also links 33% Less Sodium and Unsalted versions, but their label numbers are not covered here, so this article compares only the regular versions named above. Check the panel on the exact container you are holding.

How Do You Spot These Ingredients on a Broth Label?

Check 4 things: the serving size, the sodium line (20% DV or more per serving is high, per FDA), the added sugar line, and the ingredient list for flavor terms and yeast extract. These steps work on most broth labels:

• Confirm the serving size first. Per-cup numbers only compare directly when the serving sizes match.
• Read sodium in milligrams and as %DV. The FDA treats 20% DV or more per serving as high and 5% DV or less as low.
• Find added sugars on their own line, separate from total sugars.
• Note flavor terms such as "Natural Flavoring," "Organic Chicken Flavor," or "Chicken Flavor," since the ingredient name is all the label discloses.
• Look for "yeast extract" in the ingredient list, and read any footnote beside an MSG claim.
• Treat front-of-package claims such as "USDA Certified Organic," "non-GMO," "gluten-free," and "no added MSG" as separate statements, each with its own meaning.

What Do Pacific and Swanson Ingredient Lists Leave Out?

Neither label discloses 3 things: what the flavorings are made of, the source of Pacific's added sugar, or the amount of free glutamate in either broth. Those gaps are the parts of the ingredient story that a label cannot close on its own.

Tasting-focused reviews, including blind tastings and test-kitchen comparisons, tend to rank flavor, which the label does not measure. Bone broth products and a chicken stock from other lines are different products from the two chicken broths compared here, so their results do not map onto these labels.

These label facts cannot show how any one person's body responds to sodium, added sugar, flavorings, or yeast extract.