Campbell's has moved to contain a growing reputational crisis after firing a senior IT executive over a recording in which he allegedly made vulgar remarks about the company's customers and disparaging comments about Indian colleagues.
The US soup and snacks giant confirmed on Wednesday (26 November) that Martin Bally, formerly vice-president and chief information security officer, is no longer employed by the business. It follows the publication of a year-old covert recording released by former Campbell’s cyber analyst Robert Garza as part of a retaliation lawsuit filed against the company in Michigan.
In the 75-minute audio – the existence of which Campbell’s says it only learned of on 20 November – Bally allegedly goes on an expletive-laden tirade about Campbell’s customers, branding them “poor people” and claiming he no longer buys the company’s products. According to court filings and reporting by The Times, he is also accused of calling the company’s food “highly processed”, “not healthy” and containing “bioengineered meat”.
Bally also allegedly made abusive remarks about Indian employees, saying “F***ing Indians don’t know a f***ing thing” and calling them “idiots”.
In an updated statement issued on 26 November, Campbell’s expressed regret and apologised unequivocally. “The comments were vulgar, offensive and false, and we apologise for the hurt they have caused,” the company said. “This behaviour does not reflect our values and the culture of our company, and we will not tolerate that kind of language under any circumstances.”
Campbell’s emphasised that Bally’s role in IT “has nothing to do with how we make our food”, adding that the company remains proud of the quality of its ingredients and its heritage. Refuting Bally’s claims about its chicken, the company stressed: “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.”
The company also noted it had immediately begun a review upon learning of the recording and determined the voice on the audio was “in fact” Bally. He was dismissed on 25 November.
Garza, who joined Campbell’s in September 2024, alleges he was fired three weeks after reporting Bally’s behaviour to a supervisor. His lawsuit claims wrongful termination in retaliation for making the complaint. Garza said he felt “pure disgust” after the meeting with Bally.
Speaking to US media, his attorney said Garza “was really sticking up for other people”, including Indian colleagues and Campbell’s core consumers.
Meanwhile, Florida’s attorney general has signalled a consumer-protection review into Campbell’s food quality, though Campbell’s has forcefully rejected any suggestion of lab-grown or engineered meat being used in its products.