A Campbell’s Soup executive is on leave after he reportedly bashed the company’s own products, ingredients and customers in a rant during a company meeting. He also is accused of disparaging Indian co-workers, saying they are unable to think for themselves.
“We have s— for f—— poor people,” Martin Bally, the company’s chief information security officer, allegedly said. “Who buys our s—? I don’t buy Campbell’s products barely anymore.”
He reportedly added, “Bioengineered meat — I don’t wanna eat a piece of chicken that came from a 3-D printer.”
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The remarks came to light through a lawsuit filed by a former cybersecurity analyst at Campbell’s. Robert Garza claims that Bally and another manager violated his civil rights and that he suffers from stress and mental anguish because of racial discrimination and harassment related to the Camden meeting and its aftermath.
Secret audio captured remarks
Garza’s lawsuit says Bally’s comments were secretly recorded in November 2024 during a meeting at Campbell’s headquarters in Camden, New Jersey. Bally lives in the Detroit area, and Garza’s suit was filed in Wayne County, Michigan.
Garza says he was fired weeks after complaining to a manager about Bally’s rant. The lawsuit contends the termination was in retaliation for his complaining about Bally.
Garza is seeking unspecified damages.
Campbell’s responds
Campbell’s disavowed the comments in a statement on the company website.
“If the comments heard on the audio recording were in fact made by Mr. Bally, they are unacceptable,” the statement said. “Such language does not reflect our values and the culture of our company. We do not tolerate that kind of language under any circumstances.”
The company described Bally’s purported lambasting of Campbell’s ingredients in its famous soups as absurd.
“The chicken meat in our soups comes from long-trusted, USDA-approved U.S. suppliers and meets our high quality standards,” the statement said. “All our soups are made with No Antibiotics Ever chicken meat. Any claims to the contrary are completely false.”
“Keep in mind,” the statement continued, “the alleged comments heard on the audio were made by a person in IT, who has nothing to do with how we make our food”.
