Campbell Soup said it is ordering more ingredients to ensure it can keep enough soups, sauces and snacks on hand to meet growing demand from retailers as U.S. consumers hoard food in preparation for potential coronavirus quarantines.

Over the weekend, a few retail customers began stepping up orders, Campbell Chief Executive Mark Clouse told Reuters in an interview.

The company had already begun building inventory for ingredients that are usually stockpiled during natural disasters, including canned soups, snacks and Prego pasta sauces.

"We're working very closely with folks to make sure that we keep them in stock," Clouse said, adding that "honestly before this weekend we had not seen much" higher demand.

The outbreak has killed more than 3,000 people globally and is in nearly 80 countries and territories. In the United States, people have been stocking their pantries in case they cannot leave their homes. A few state health departments have urged residents to stock up on non-perishable foods, prescription medications and sanitary supplies.

Some worry supply chains could be strained and store shelves of major retailers such as Walmart and Kroger. U.S. retailer Target Corp said on Tuesday it was seeing a surge in store traffic due to the virus.

Data firm Nielsen has reported that demand for some consumer products - such as pretzels and fruit snacks - was up 5-7% in January and February. Clouse said sales growth over the last couple of weeks was comparable, but that he did not know if this would continue.

"There's no question that we're seeing some uptick - it's just hard for me yet to know the level of sustained need," Clouse said. SpaghettiOs canned pasta and Swanson canned chicken are also seeing higher demand, he added.

Campbell also raised its fiscal full-year earnings forecast and posted better-than-expected quarterly profit and sales due to strong demand for soups and snacks, and its shares rose nearly 7%.

The 150-year-old company has sought to revitalize its canned soup business, rolling out new recipes, eliminating preservatives and amping up marketing to lure back health-conscious customers who favor freshly made salads and sandwiches.

Campbell's investments drove higher demand for condensed soups and broths in the quarter, boosting sales at its U.S. soup unit by 1%.

Campbell's stock (CPB) has gained about 24% since late 2018 when Clouse was hired to turn the company around.

The company is looking for alternatives to ingredients it buys from places where supply chains are being disrupted. Yet Clouse, who sold the fresh food unit and some international brands to focus on the U.S. business, noted that the company is far less exposed to global supply chain disruptions than it was before.

"Only about 10% of our total ingredients come from outside of North America, with China under 2%."

Hoping to build on this momentum, Campbell has more innovation planned for this year, Clouse said in an interview with Reuters. Changes will include increasing protein in products using bone broth, and making cups of soup that are packaged with dry garnish, similar to yogurt cups that are topped with oatmeal or nuts.

"We've got a lot of big bets coming up," Clouse said. The company is also working to rebuild retailer relationships, some of which had soured in recent years. Campbell lost business from Walmart Inc in 2018, for instance, over a dispute about prices and promotions.

Campbell, which makes Prego pasta sauces and Pepperidge Farm cookies and Goldfish crackers, has also boosted investments to address changing consumer tastes in its snacks business. Organic sales at its snacks division rose 2%, due to higher demand for Goldfish crackers, Kettle Brand and Cape Cod potato chips.

Campbell sold its fresh food and certain international snack brands last year so it could focus on growing its U.S. soup and snacks businesses. The company said the divestments helped it reduce debt and it now expects fiscal 2020 adjusted earnings of $2.55 to $2.60 per share because of lower adjusted net interest costs. Campbell's new forecast is 5 cents more than previous guidance.

Net earnings attributable to the company was $1.21 billion, compared to a loss of $59 million a year earlier. Excluding one-time items, the company earned 72 cents per share, beating analysts' expectation of 66 cents, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.

The company said net sales fell marginally to $2.16 billion in the second quarter ended Jan. 26, but beat analysts' expectations of $2.15 billion.