Campbell’s Fires Executive Who Called Its Products Food for ‘Poor People’

The Campbell’s soup company has fired a top executive after a recording surfaced in which he allegedly described the company’s products as highly processed food for “poor people” and falsely claimed its chicken was “bioengineered.”Martin Bally, the former vice president of information technology, was recorded making the statements during a meeting with Robert Garza, a cybersecurity analyst who is now suing the company for racial discrimination and harassment. The recording was filed as part of Mr. Garza’s lawsuit in Michigan’s Wayne County Circuit Court.“We have [expletive] that’s for poor people,” a voice, which Campbell’s identified as Mr. Bally’s, is heard saying on the recording. “I don’t buy [expletive] Campbell’s products barely anymore.” The voice later suggests the soup contains “bioengineered meat” and says, “I don’t want to eat a … piece of chicken that came from a 3D printer, do you?”In a statement released on Wednesday, Campbell’s condemned the remarks and confirmed Bally’s termination.“After a review, we believe the voice on the recording is in fact Martin Bally,” the company said. “The comments were vulgar, offensive and false, and we apologize for the hurt they have caused. 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. As of November 25, Mr. Bally is no longer employed by the company.”The company also added some text in the FAQ section of its website.“Why do some people think Campbell’s uses 3D-printed or artificial chicken?” the company wrote, then answered: “A recent video contained false comments about our ingredients. The comments heard on the recording about our food are not only inaccurate, they are absurd. We do not use lab-grown chicken or any form of artificial or bioengineered meat in our soups. We are proud of the food we make and the high-quality ingredients we use.”The company also wrote, “Is Campbell’s chicken 3D-printed?” and answered: “No. We do not use 3D-printed chicken, lab-grown chicken, or any form of artificial or bioengineered meat in our soups.”The company acknowledges its use of “bioengineered food ingredients” from crops like corn and soybeans, but emphasizes, “This language on our label refers to ingredients derived from those crops, not chicken.”The lawsuit, filed by Mr. Garza on November 20, alleges he was wrongfully terminated on January 30 in retaliation for reporting racial discrimination and harassment. The suit names Mr. Bally, Campbell’s, and another director as defendants, claiming they created a hostile work environment and violated his civil rights. Garza is seeking damages for emotional distress and lost wages.Campbell’s, which also owns brands like Pace, Prego, and V8, pushed back strongly against the claims made about its food quality.The company’s statement clarified, “The chicken meat in our soups comes from long-trusted, USDA-approved U.S. suppliers and meets our high quality standards. All our soups are made with No Antibiotics Ever chicken meat. Any claims to the contrary are completely false.”

Campbell’s Fires Executive Who Called Its Products Food for ‘Poor People’

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