Ex-employee sues Campbell's after exec's alleged controversial comments on 'poor people'
Lucy Devine
Featured Image Credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images
A former employee is suing Campbell's after an executive allegedly called its products 'for poor people'.
Known primarily for its tinned soups, Campbell's also produces a range of sauces, pastas, snacks and beverages.
Robert Garza, a former cybersecurity analyst at the company, filed the lawsuit in Michigan last week, alleging that a Campbell Soup Company executive had made derogatory comments about Indian workers and said the products were 'for poor people'.
According to Garza, Martin Bally - who is the company's Vice President and chief information security officer - made the comments in a meeting in 2024, claiming that Campbell's products are 'highly [processed] food' for 'poor people'.
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The meeting was supposed to be about Garza's salary, but allegedly Bally went on a rant about the products, and those who buy them.
“We have s*** for f****** poor people. Who buys our s***? I don’t buy Campbell’s products barely anymore. It’s not healthy now that I know what the f***‘s in it," he allegedly said.
“Bioengineered meat - I don’t wanna eat a piece of chicken that came from a 3D printer.”
According to Garza, he immediately told his manager, J.D. Aupperle, but was not encouraged to report Bally over the comments, which were reportedly recorded, according to WDIV.
Garza says he was then 'abruptly terminated' from the business, just weeks on from the incident, before taking 10 months to find a new job.
Garza’s attorney, Zachary Runyan, told WDIV: “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.’”
Runyan said that Garza had not been given any disciplinary action and was fired for 'sticking up for other people'.
"The response to Robert sticking up for other people is he gets fired, which is ridiculous," he said.
In a statement, Campbell Soup Company told WDIV. “If accurate, the comments in the recording are unacceptable. They do not reflect our values and the culture of our company. We are actively investigating this matter.”
Meanwhile, Garza said of the company: “They have a motto: ‘We treat you like family here at Campbell‘s - come work for us'.
"'We treat our employees like family.’ That’s not the case.”
FOODbible has reached out to Campbell's for comment.