Swanson Unsalted Stock vs Swanson Unsalted Broth

Swanson's New Unsalted Chicken Broth

A few weeks ago I discovered that Swanson now makes two types of unsalted products: stock AND broth. When I first noticed it, I thought I had mis-read the labels. But upon closer inspection, I realized that there were, indeed, two distinct unsalted products.

Here are the facts:

STOCK

Swanson's Unsalted Stocks

Swanson Unsalted Chicken Stock: 130 mg sodium/cup

Ingredients: Chicken Stock, Dehydrated Chicken, Natural Flavoring, Chicken Fat.

Swanson Unsalted Beef Stock: 150 mg sodium/cup

Ingredients: Water, Beef Stock, Yeast Extract, Natural Flavoring, Honey, Sugar, Onion Juice Concentrate, Tomato Paste, Lactic Acid, Beef Fat, Beef Extract

BROTH

Only 45 mg Sodium/Cup of Unsalted Chicken Broth

Swanson Unsalted Chicken Broth: 45 mg sodium/cup

Ingredients: Chicken Stock, Contains Less Than 2% of: Yeast Extract, Dehydrated 

Chicken, Natural Flavoring, Carrot Juice Concentrate, Celeriac Juice Concentrate, Chicken Broth, Chicken Fat, Onion Extract

Swanson Unsalted Beef Broth: 75 mg sodium/cup

Ingredients: Water, Beef Stock, Contains Less than 2% of: Yeast Extract, Natural Flavoring, Onion Juice Concentrate, Beef Fat, Carrot Juice Concentrate, Celeriac Juice Concentrate, Beef Extract, Onion Extract

According to cooking resources, stock is usually made with bones – a lot more bones than meat, and often no vegetables. As a result, refrigerated stock turns into a thick, dense gelatinous  substance. Broth, on the other hand, is made with more meat and vegetables. There may be some bones involved, but the end result is looser when refrigerated.

This is what Swanson has to say about its unsalted stocks: “100% natural Swanson Unsalted Chicken/Beef Cooking Stock is a full-bodied cooking base with a rich and savory chicken/beef flavor. With no added salt and seasoning, it is the perfect foundation for flavor creation.”

Here's what it says about the new unsalted broths: “NEW Swanson Unsalted Chicken/Beef Broth adds a richness of flavor, while allowing the natural taste of the food to come through. With no salt added, this broth provides the perfect foundation to work from, letting you make your dishes the way you like them.”

The broth ingredients include carrot juice and celeriac juice, neither of which is found in the stocks. But the biggest difference is the sodium content. The unsalted broths are much, much lower in sodium.

Sodium per 1 Cup Serving:

Chicken Stock – 130 mg Chicken Broth – 45 mg

Beef Stock – 150 mg Beef Broth –  75 mg

So if your stores carry the new unsalted broths, they're the best low sodium options. However, the unsalted stocks are still a good choice. They’re much lower in sodium than the so-called lower sodium versions of broths or stocks.