The Campbell Soup Company has suddenly found itself in the middle of a storm after a former employee released a recording that appears to capture one of the firm’s top executives trashing the brand’s own food — and even its customers.
What started as a private meeting more than a year ago has now spilled into national headlines, online outrage and a full-scale internal investigation.
A Secret Recording That Sparked the Uproar
The controversy began when Robert Garza, a Michigan-based former remote worker for Campbell’s, filed a lawsuit and handed over audio to Detroit’s Local 4 News.
According to Garza, the voice on the recording belongs to Martin Bally, Campbell’s Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer.
In the audio aired by the station, the speaker goes on an expletive-filled tirade about the company’s products.
“We have st for f*ing poor people,” the voice says. “Who buys our st? I don’t buy Campbell’s products barely anymore.
It’s not healthy now that I know what the fk’s in it.”
Claims About “Bioengineered” Ingredients
The rant also veers into a criticism of modern food tech, with the speaker mocking the idea of “bioengineered meat” and referencing chicken “from a 3D printer.”
While Campbell’s has disclosed that some of its crops are grown from genetically modified seeds, the company has not commented on whether any meat in its soups is lab-grown — a topic that has become politically heated in some states.
Campbell’s Response: “Absurd” and “Unacceptable”
The company quickly pushed back.
A Campbell Soup spokesperson told DailyMail.com the remarks were not only false but “patently absurd,” and emphasized that the alleged comments came from someone who has nothing to do with the company’s food production.
The spokesperson added that if the recording is legitimate, the remarks “do not reflect our values,” and confirmed that Bally has been placed on temporary leave pending investigation.
Daily Mail reached out to Bally directly, though he has not responded publicly.
The Story Draws Political Attention
The uproar didn’t stay confined to Michigan.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier posted on X that his state — which bans lab-grown meat — is launching its own consumer-protection inquiry and is demanding answers from Campbell’s.
How the Recording Came to Be
Garza’s lawsuit outlines how the meeting took place shortly after he joined the company in September 2024.
He says he met Bally at a restaurant later that year to talk about his salary.
Instead, the executive allegedly spent more than an hour railing against everything from Campbell’s products to its customers.
The recording, according to Local 4 News, lasts over 75 minutes and includes racist remarks about Indian employees.
At one point, the voice on tape says: “Fing Indians don’t know a fing thing… they couldn’t think for their f***ing selves.”
Reporting the Comments — and Losing His Job
Garza says he reported Bally’s alleged remarks to his supervisor in January 2025.
Not long after, he was fired.
His lawsuit accuses Campbell’s of retaliating against him for speaking up and claims the company fostered a “racially toxic” work environment.
Garza’s attorney, Runyan, told Local 4 the firing made no sense: Garza had never been disciplined, never written up, and, in their view, was punished simply for trying to defend others.
Claims of Emotional and Economic Harm
The lawsuit states Garza has suffered stress, humiliation, fear, and emotional distress — along with financial losses — and argues that his termination was unjust and retaliatory.
He says Campbell’s “family” culture is a façade: “That’s not the case,” he told Local 4.
What Happens Next
Campbell’s internal investigation is underway, while Florida’s consumer-protection division is gearing up for its own inquiry.
Bally remains on leave as the company tries to determine whether the recording is authentic — and how the allegations might affect its workplace culture and public trust.
With federal debates raging about lab-grown meat, genetically modified ingredients, and corporate transparency, Campbell’s is now under scrutiny from several angles at once.
And with litigation still unfolding, this story is far from over.