Soup Executive's Explosive Comments Spark Legal Battle
A senior executive at Campbell's Soup Company has been placed on temporary leave following allegations he described the company's iconic products as "shit for fucking poor people" in a recorded conversation that has now become central to a wrongful termination lawsuit.
The controversy erupted when former security analyst Robert Garza filed legal proceedings in Michigan's Wayne County circuit court last Thursday. Garza claims he was dismissed in January 2025 after raising concerns about inappropriate comments made by Martin Bally, Campbell's vice-president of information technology.
Recording Reveals Damaging Comments
According to court documents, Garza recorded a November 2024 meeting with Bally that allegedly descended into an hour-long rant containing numerous controversial statements. The Michigan news outlet WDIV later reviewed the audio recordings, which captured a voice identified as Bally's making several incendiary remarks.
In the recording, a voice clearly states: "We have shit for fucking poor people. Who buys our shit? I don't buy Campbell's products barely any more. It's not healthy now that I know what the fuck's in it ... bioengineered meat."
The executive allegedly continued: "I don't wanna eat a piece of chicken that came from a 3D printer," while also making derogatory comments about colleagues of Indian heritage, stating: "Fucking Indians don't know a fucking thing ... Like they couldn't think for their fucking selves."
Retaliatory Dismissal Alleged
Garza maintains he felt "pure disgust" following the meeting but kept the recording private until January 2025, when he reported Bally's behaviour to supervisor JP Aupperle. According to the lawsuit, Garza was dismissed just 20 days later without any prior disciplinary action.
Garza's lawyer, Zachary Runyan, told WDIV that his client was "sticking up for other people" before his termination. "He went to his boss and said: 'Martin is saying this about Indian co-workers we have, he's saying this about people who buy our food, who keep our company open, and I don't think that should be allowed,'" Runyan explained. "And the response to Robert sticking up for other people is he gets fired, which is ridiculous."
The lawsuit alleges retaliatory dismissal and claims Campbell's maintained a racially hostile work environment. Garza also states that neither the company nor its human resources department followed up on his report about Bally, leaving him unemployed for ten months.
Company Response and Denials
Campbell's Soup Company has issued a statement confirming it is investigating the allegations and has placed Bally on leave pending the outcome. The company stated: "If accurate, the comments in the recording are unacceptable. They do not reflect our values and the culture of our company."
In a separate statement to Newsweek, a Campbell's spokesperson strongly denied claims about bioengineered meat, asserting: "We use 100% real chicken in our soups. The chicken meat comes from long-trusted, USDA approved suppliers and meets our high quality standards. All of our soups are made with No Antibiotics Ever chicken meat. Any claims to the contrary are completely false."
Bally has not publicly commented on the lawsuit, which names him, Aupperle, and Campbell's Soup Company as defendants.
Historical Precedents of Corporate Self-Criticism
This incident places Campbell's - whose distinctive red and white cans were immortalised in Andy Warhol's famous 1960s pop artworks - among other companies whose employees have publicly criticised their own products.
In 2017, Huawei's deputy chair Eric Xu expressed doubts about the necessity of the company's new smartwatch, while most famously, in 1991, Ratner Group jewellery company chair Gerald Ratner described his products as "total crap" during a public speech.
Ratner later apologised and claimed he was joking, but the damage was done - business suffered substantially and 330 Ratner Group shops across the UK and US subsequently closed, serving as a cautionary tale for corporate executives everywhere.
