Campbell's (NASDAQ: CPB) released its 2026 State of the Sides Report on Tuesday, marking the fifth consecutive year the Camden, N.J.-based food conglomerate has tracked American holiday eating behavior. The survey of 5,017 U.S. adults who celebrate Thanksgiving — 100 per state, conducted in August and September by independent research firm Reputation Leaders — shows that side dishes have grown more central to the holiday table, a trend with direct implications for retail soup and sauce volumes heading into the November–December peak.
The Numbers
The data point most material to Campbell's core business: 80% of respondents say they enjoy cooking side dishes more than turkey, an 11-percentage-point increase since 2023. Americans expect to serve a median of five sides per Thanksgiving meal this year; aggregated nationally, the company estimates that equates to roughly 749 million individual side dishes. Eighty-six percent of respondents will serve at least four sides. For Campbell's, which sells nearly 40 million cans of Cream of Mushroom soup during the holiday period alone — and more than 308 million cans over the past five holiday seasons combined — the shift toward side-centric holiday meals reinforces the strategic importance of its Meals & Beverages division, which contributes to the company's fiscal 2026 net sales of $9.7 billion.
The top five sides have remained unchanged for three consecutive years: green bean casserole, mac & cheese, yams/sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, and stuffing/dressing. That brand-level lock-in matters: 87% of respondents who make green bean casserole name Campbell's Soup as their preferred base, and 69% specify cream of mushroom or cream of celery soup as optimal. Only 19% say they would alter the recipe — the lowest modification rate of any top-five dish — underscoring the defensive moat the brand holds in this subcategory.
Generational Shifts
Generational data in the report flags a structural demand shift worth watching for foodservice and retail buyers alike. Sixty-five percent of Gen Z respondents and 56% of Millennials say they would be satisfied with a side-only Thanksgiving meal — a preference profile that aligns with broader plant-forward and flexitarian trends reshaping holiday menus. For center-of-plate proteins, that reading could signal long-term headwinds, while it reinforces volume opportunity for ambient soups, cheese sauces, and convenience-oriented cooking bases.
Mac & cheese surfaces as the cross-generational connector: 57% call it the dish "everyone can agree on," and it ranks as Gen Z's number-one side for the second straight year. Forty-two percent report no leftovers, and 46% cite easy preparation as a primary selection driver — a dynamic that directly supports Campbell's Cheddar Cheese Soup, which the company positions as a roux-free shortcut for scratch-style results.
What's Next
"For the past five years, our State of the Sides Report has given us a front row seat to evolving holiday traditions, and one thing is clear: sides are more central to the celebration than ever," said Rebecca Duke, Senior Director of Brand Marketing at The Campbell's Company. The report also notes that consumers are increasingly turning to AI-assisted recipe discovery — an emerging channel that major food brands are beginning to integrate into digital marketing strategies.
The 2026 report notes that holiday side traditions remain largely intact while also accommodating experimentation and convenience-driven cooking, a combination that benefits established pantry brands with strong recipe equity. Full regional breakdowns and trend detail are available at campbells.com/sidesseason-2026. The survey carries a national margin of error of ±1.4% at 95% confidence.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
