With a heritage spanning more than 150 years, Campbell Soup Co. is widely known for its condensed soups.
But the brand usually associated with heartwarming comfort food is making headlines for a very different reason.
Campbell's is facing an employment discrimination and retaliation lawsuit after former security analyst Robert Garza was fired following a secret recording he made of company Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer Martin Bally's profanity-laced rant that mocked "poor people" and the company's products.
The lawsuit, which was filed in Wayne County Circuit Court in Michigan on Thursday, accuses Campbell's of retaliating against Garza for reporting discriminatory conduct and maintaining a racially hostile work environment.
Garza, who began working remotely for the New Jersey-based company in September 2024, reportedly met Bally at a restaurant last year for what he believed would be a salary discussion.
Garza told Local 4 News in Detroit that he began recording because he trusted his "instinct that something wasn't right."
According to the complaint, Garza recorded more than an hour of Bally's tirade in which the Campbell's executive allegedly denigrated the company's food, saying it makes "highly processed" products for "f***ing poor people."
At one point, Bally allegedly said, "Bioengineered meat — I don't wanna eat a piece of chicken that came from a 3D printer."
Statements cited in Garza's filing allege that Bally also admitted to showing up to work after consuming marijuana edibles and that the vice president repeatedly insulted Indian employees, calling them "idiots" and insisting they "couldn't think for their f***ing selves."
Garza reportedly did not share the recording with his direct supervisor, J.D. Aupperle, for several weeks after the incident took place. He was terminated on Jan. 30 — about 20 days after raising his concerns.
For his part, Garza told Local 4 News that there was no follow-up from human resources or Campbell's. He said it took him 10 months to find another job and described the way the company handled the situation as "simply terrible."
"They have a motto: 'We treat you like family here at Campbell's — come work for us,'" Garza said. "'We treat our employees like family.' That's not the case."
The lawsuit names the Campbell Soup Co., Bally and Aupperle as defendants.
Campbell's told Newsmax in a statement, "If the comments were in fact made, they are unacceptable. They do not reflect our values and the culture of our company. Mr. Bally is temporarily on leave while we conduct an investigation.
"We are proud of the food we make, the people who make it, and the high-quality ingredients we use. The comments heard on the recording about our food are not only inaccurate — they are patently absurd.
"Keep in mind, the person alleged to be speaking on the recording works in IT and has nothing to do with how we make our food."
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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