Campbell's fires executive after recording of his disparaging remarks about ingredients
Campbell's has fired an executive who was allegedly caught on tape calling the soup company's products "highly process[ed] food" for "poor people," and that the chicken in it is "bioengineered meat."
After a review of the recording, Campbell's confirmed in a statement Wednesday that the company believes the voice in question belongs to Martin Bally, a vice president, who as of Tuesday no longer works at the company.
A lawsuit filed Thursday in Wayne County, Michigan, against Campbell's, obtained by ABC News, highlights a conversation between Bally and former cyber security analyst Robert Garza who recorded the discussion.
"We have [expletive] for [expletive] poor people … who buys our [expletive]? ... I don't buy [expletive] Campbell's products, barely anymore. It's not healthy, now that I know what the [expletive] in it,” Bally allegedly stated in the recording. "Even in a can of soup, I look at it and we can eat pot bioengineered meat. I don't want to eat a [expletive] piece of chicken that came from a 3D printer,” he allegedly said.
In a phone interview with ABC News, Campbell's emphasized the alleged comments made about their food is "false and completely inaccurate."
Garza claims in the suit that Bally made the comments after the pair met in a restaurant to discuss his salary in 2024.
He also claims in the suit that he wanted to go to the company's human resources department to report Bally's behavior, but instead of an investigation Garza says he was fired weeks later.
A spokesperson for Campbell's told ABC News in an emailed statement that Garza was terminated for good reason and was with the company for less than 5 months.
Garza is suing the company for alleged retaliation and a hostile work environment. He is seeking emotional and economic damages.
"This situation has been very hard on Robert. He thought Campbell's would be thankful that he reported Martin's behavior, but instead he was abruptly fired," Zachary Runyan, an attorney for Garza, told ABC News.
Bally, who worked in the company's information technology department and has no connection to how the soup is made, had initially been placed on a temporary administrative leave while Campbell's investigates the claims made in the lawsuit.
"If the comments were in fact made, they are unacceptable. They do not reflect our values and the culture of our company," the company spokesperson added. "We are proud of the food we make, the people who make it and the high-quality ingredients we use ... the comments made about our food are completely inaccurate and absurd."
Campbell's said the "no antibiotics," "100% real" chicken meat used in its soups "comes from long-trusted, USDA approved U.S. suppliers" and meets their "high-quality standards."
The company said it "has not been able to verify the validity of the recording and has not been provided with a copy either."
A representative for Bally did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment.
