A leaked recording allegedly captures a Campbell’s executive mocking the company’s products, workers, and customers — igniting national backlash.
A former employee of Campbell’s, Robert Garza, filed a lawsuit after releasing a secret recording that allegedly features senior exec Martin Bally — Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer — making shocking, disparaging remarks about the company’s own products, customers, and coworkers.
In the recording — reportedly from a November 2024 meeting — Bally is heard referring to Campbell’s soup as “s— for f—ing poor people,” ridiculing consumers, and dismissing the chicken as “bioengineered meat” from a “3-D printer.” He also allegedly made derogatory statements toward Indian colleagues and admitted to using marijuana edibles before work.
The Campbell Soup’s Vice President wasn’t just caught saying Campbell’s soups are for poor people and use bioengineered meat
He literally said on a secret recording the company is using “3D printed meat”
This is a federal crime. It is illegal under US federal law to sell,… pic.twitter.com/LBMboTuy39
— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) November 24, 2025
Garza claims he was fired about 20 days after reporting the remarks to his supervisor. The lawsuit alleges wrongful termination and a racially hostile work environment.
Upon learning of the recording, Campbell’s responded swiftly: they placed Bally on administrative leave and launched an internal investigation. The company issued a statement calling the alleged remarks “unacceptable,” saying that if the comments were verified, they did not reflect Campbell’s corporate values or culture.
In a new statement, the company said they fired Bally and also stated that their company will not “tolerate that kind of language under any circumstances.”
“The comments were vulgar, offensive and false, and we apologize for the hurt they have caused,” the company said in a statement. “This behavior does not reflect our values and the culture of our company, and we will not tolerate that kind of language under any circumstances.”
Campbell’s also publicly denied using any “3-D printed,” lab-grown, or “bioengineered” meat in their products. The company emphasized it sources “100% real chicken” from trusted U.S. suppliers and described the allegations about ingredients as “patently absurd.”
Garza’s lawsuit — filed in Michigan’s Wayne County court — accuses Campbell’s of retaliation and fostering a racially hostile workplace after he reported the alleged misconduct. The recording went viral online, sparking widespread condemnation of both the executive’s remarks and Campbell’s perceived culture. Many consumers questioned the company’s practices and integrity.
Amid growing concern over comments about “bioengineered” or “3-D printed” meat, at least one state official — James Uthmeier (Florida Attorney General) — announced that his office would review whether any laws on lab-grown meat or consumer protection had been violated.
