A Campbell Soup Company executive is facing scrutiny after a secretly recorded conversation captured him making disparaging comments about the company’s products and its consumers.
The claims include suggesting some ingredients are “not real,” according to reporting from WDIV Local 4 in Detroit.
The allegations surfaced through a lawsuit filed by former employee Robert Garza, who told WDIV he recorded a 75-minute meeting with Martin Bally, the company’s vice president and chief information security officer.
Garza, who was hired in September 2024 as a remote security analyst, said the recording was made during what he believed to be a standard performance-related meeting.
In the audio reviewed by WDIV Local 4, Bally allegedly mocked Campbell Soup products and the customers who buy them.
He is also reported to have suggested that some Campbell ingredients are produced through “bioengineered” processes, claiming a piece of chicken “came from a 3-D printer.”
The comments were part of a broader rant in which Bally allegedly described certain foods as unhealthy and implied they were not authentically made, statements Garza interpreted as meaning “the food isn’t real.”
WDIV and The Blaze both reported that Bally additionally made derogatory remarks about “poor people” who purchase the company’s products and used racially offensive language toward Indian employees.
Garza alleges he was fired on Jan. 30, 2025, after attempting to raise concerns with his supervisor, a move he contends was retaliatory.
Campbell Soup Company responded to WDIV Local 4, stating, “If accurate, the comments in the recording are unacceptable.
They do not reflect our values and the culture of our company. We are actively investigating this matter.”
The company has not released findings from that investigation, and Bally has not publicly commented.
The lawsuit, which includes claims of wrongful termination, retaliation, and a hostile work environment, is pending in Michigan’s Wayne County Circuit Court.
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