Campbell Soup is one of the iconic American food companies, providing delicious and economical condensed soups and other products to families for over 150 years. Sure, they’re not exactly fine dining, but if you need a meal in a pinch, they get the job done, and there are far worse alternatives out there.
But though they’re a mainstay in the kitchen of hard-working families across America (and indeed, across the world), we now know what the Campbell’s company actually thinks of its customers. A truly shocking piece of leaked audio from Campbell’s Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer Martin Bally has been broadcast on Detroit’s Local 4 News.
Here’s what Campbell’s really thinks of its own products and loyal customers:
What’s in your soup?
— ꧁
Campbell's Soup VP recorded ridiculing 'poor people' for eating 'bioengineered meat' in 's**t' product: Lawsuithttps://t.co/tofE2AlLT3 pic.twitter.com/UaXT3GssoZ𝓥𝓲𝓸𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓥𝓲𝔁𝓮𝓷29
“We have s**t for f***king poor people. Who buys our s**t? I don’t buy Campbell’s products barely anymore. It’s not healthy now that I know what the f**’s in it. …Bioengineered meat, I don’t wanna eat a piece of chicken that came from a 3D printer.”
Doubless sensing a public relations disaster, Campbell’s disavowed Bally’s statement, telling The Daily Mail:
“We are proud of the food we make, the people who make it and the high-quality ingredients we use. The comments on the recording are not only inaccurate – they are patently absurd. Keep in mind, the alleged comments are made by an IT person, who has nothing to do with how we make our food. If the recording is legitimate, the comments are unacceptable. They do not reflect our values and the culture of our company.”
They also confirmed that “Mr Bally is temporarily on leave while we conduct an investigation”. I’m sure he is.
Also racism
The leaked audio originates from disgruntled former employee Robert Garza, who was disgusted by Bally’s conduct after meeting him at a restaurant in Nov. 2024 to discuss his salary. According to Garza, Bally instead launched into a vitriolic and racist rant against Campbell’s Indian staff members, saying in another recording:
F***ing Indians don’t know a f***ing thing. Like they couldn’t think for their f***ing selves,’
Garza approached his supervisor about Bally’s comments and, as his lawsuit alleges, was fired soon after. As his lawyers claim:
“He was really sticking up for other people. He went to his boss and said, ‘Martin is saying this about Indian coworkers we have, he’s saying this about people who buy our food — who keep our company open, and I don’t think that should be allowed.’ And the response to Robert sticking up for other people is that he gets fired, which is ridiculous.”
I don’t know about you, but this kind of behavior has put a bad taste in my mouth when it comes to Campbell Soup and other Campbell’s products. If they openly say that what they want me to buy is “s**t for f***king poor people”, I’ll just start purchasing one of the many alternatives available instead!
