Campbell’s Exec Accused Of Calling Its Company Food ‘Sh*t for Poor People’ In New Lawsuit
The Campbell’s Company is under fire due to discriminatory remarks made by its Vice President of Information Technology, Martin Bally. A lawsuit was filed against the executive last week by Robert Garza, a former Campbell’s employee, who claims that the incident occurred during a meeting the two had in November 2024.
The meeting was to discuss Garza’s salary, wherein he recorded Bally as he ranted about Campbell’s ingredients, saying, “I don’t buy Campbell’s products barely anymore. It’s not healthy now that I know what the f*cks in it… bioengineered meat. I don’t wanna eat a piece of chicken that came from a 3D printer. Do you? We have sh*t for f*cking poor people, who buys our shit!”
Garza was subsequently fired from Campbell’s for coming forward. In response, the company released a statement addressing Bally’s comments, though it did not admit that the recording was, in fact, Bally:
“If the comments heard on the audio recording were in fact made by Mr. Bally, they are unacceptable. Such language does not reflect our values and the culture of our company. We do not tolerate that kind of language under any circumstances. Mr. Bally is temporarily on leave while we conduct an investigation.”
The recorded rant lasted for an hour, and allegedly included racist comments about Indian workers, who, according to the lawsuit, Bally called “idiots.” Bally also admitted to frequently coming into work under the influence of cannabis edibles. Another Campbell’s supervisor named J.D. Aupperle is also listed in the lawsuit.
In the statement, The Campbell Co. also responded to the allegation that the chicken it uses is bioengineered, saying, “We are proud of the food we make, the people who make it and the high-quality ingredients we use to provide consumers with good food at a good value. We know that millions of people use Campbell’s products, and we’re honored by the trust they put in us. The comments heard on the recording about our food are not only inaccurate—they are patently absurd.”
