The executive was terminated this week after he was recorded denigrating the company's products and making racist remarks last year.
A Campbell's executive was fired this week after an audio recording of him denigrating the company's products and making racist remarks surfaced. For some, Campbell’s soup is synonymous with cold winter days or a warm and gooey grilled cheese sandwich.
Martin Bally, a now-former executive at The Campbell’s Company, might not be included in that crowd. The conglomerate — which owns brands including Campbell’s, Pepperidge Farm, Prego and Swanson — on Wednesday announced Bally was terminated for ridiculing the company’s products and making racist remarks, according to multiple news outlets. Audio from a November 2024 meeting between Bally and Robert Garza, a former employee who recently filed a lawsuit against Campbell’s in Michigan, captured Bally calling Campbell’s products “highly processed food” made for “poor people,” according to In the recording, which is more than 90 minutes long, Bally is also heard referring to Indian workers as “idiots” and making remarks about “bioengineered meat,” the stories said. Bally was employed as the company’s vice president of information technology when the audio was recorded. The Campbell’s Company on Wednesday released an updated statement about the lawsuit and Bally’s termination. “After a review, we believe the voice on the recording is in fact Martin Bally. The comments were vulgar, offensive and false, and we apologize for the hurt they have caused. This behavior does not reflect our values and the culture of our company, and we will not tolerate that kind of language under any circumstances. As of November 25, Mr. Bally is no longer employed by the company,” the statement said.“We are proud of the food we make, the people who make it and the high-quality ingredients we use to provide consumers with good food at a good value. The comments heard on the recording about our food are not only inaccurate—they are patently absurd,” the statement continued. The company added that the chicken meat in its soups comes from “long-trusted, USDA-approved U.S. suppliers and meets our high quality standards.” All Campbell’s soups are made with “No Antibiotics Ever chicken meat.” The company called any claims to the contrary “completely false.” Garza, who is seeking monetary damages from Campbell’s, claims he was wrongfully terminated in January 2025 after he reported Bally’s comments to his manager, J.D. Aupperle, who is also included in the Michigan lawsuit. Garza had only worked for the company for a few months when he met with Bally to discuss his salary. After reporting Bally’s comments, Garza was not encouraged to report the comments to the human resources department before he was “abruptly terminated from employment” later that month. Campbell’s said it learned of the litigation and heard segments of the audio on Nov. 20. Garza and his lawyer did not notify the company of the audio recording, Campbell’s statement said.Madison Montag is the nightside public safety reporter at PennLive. He covers daily breaking news and provides informative, conversational copy on a wide range of public safety issues throughout central...
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Campbell's fires executive who was recorded saying company's products are for 'poor people'The Campbell's Co. said Wednesday it has fired an executive who was recorded making racist comments and mocking the company's products and customers.
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Campbell’s fires executive who was recorded saying company’s products are for ‘poor people’Campbell’s said Martin Bally’s comments were hurtful and vulgar and apologized for the harm caused.
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