Campbell’s executive put on leave after alleged insult of products as ‘for poor people’ and racist remarks

UNITED STATES: A Campbell’s Soup Company executive has been placed on temporary leave following allegations that he referred to the firm’s products as “shit for XXXking poor people” and mocked colleagues of Indian heritage.

The claims surfaced in a wrongful termination lawsuit filed in Michigan by former employee Robert Garza, who joined the company as a remote security analyst in September 2024.

Garza alleges that a November 2024 meeting with vice-president of information technology, Martin Bally, devolved into an hour-long tirade in which Bally criticised Campbell’s products, claimed ingredients amounted to “bioengineered meat”, admitted to taking marijuana edibles before work, and launched racist insults.

Recording Captured Offensive Remarks

Audio recordings reviewed by local broadcaster WDIV include a voice saying he barely eats Campbell’s products because he now knows “what the XXXk’s in it”.

According to the lawsuit, Garza reported Bally’s behaviour to a supervisor in January. He says he was dismissed 20 days later with no prior disciplinary issues.

His lawyer argues that Garza was retaliated against for defending colleagues and consumers who were demeaned in the recording.

The lawsuit accuses Campbell’s of fostering a racially hostile environment and failing to investigate the report, leaving Garza unemployed for ten months.

Company Responds as Lawsuit Expands

Campbell’s said the allegations are being investigated and that Bally has been placed on leave, adding that the comments, if confirmed, are “unacceptable”.

The company separately told Newsweek that suggestions of “bioengineered meat” are false, insisting its soups use 100 per cent real, USDA-approved chicken.

Bally, his supervisor and the company are all named as defendants.

The case recalls past corporate embarrassments where executives publicly disparaged their own brands.