Campbell Soup Company is facing serious backlash after recordings revealed that its Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer, Martin Bally, used racist language and made deeply offensive remarks about Indian employees, customers, and the company’s own products.
The comments were recorded last year by Robert Garza, a former cybersecurity analyst who met Bally for what was supposed to be a routine salary discussion. Instead, the conversation turned into what Garza described as an abusive and inappropriate tirade by the senior executive.
In the recording, Bally referred to his Indian colleagues in an openly racist manner, saying, “F***ing Indians don’t know a f***ing thing. They couldn’t think for their f***ing selves."
He also mocked customers who rely on Campbell products, openly insulting them and questioning the quality of the food he was responsible for overseeing.
“We have s**t for f***ing poor people. Who buys our s**t? I don’t buy Campbell’s products barely anymore," Bally was recorded saying.
He went on to criticise the company’s ingredients and even suggested that the chicken used could be artificial.
“It’s not healthy now that I know what the f**k’s in it. Bioengineered meat -- I don’t wanna eat a piece of chicken that came from a 3-D printer," he said.
Bally also admitted to showing up at work under the influence of drugs and claimed that the employee who reported it was fired.
The situation escalated further when Garza filed a lawsuit in Wayne County Circuit Court on Thursday, accusing the company of wrongful termination and retaliation. He said he was fired just 20 days after raising concerns about Bally’s behaviour with his manager and speaking out against the executive.
Garza stated that he had been working with Bally at Campbell’s Camden, New Jersey headquarters since September 2024 and was terminated in January this year after reporting the incident.
As outrage grew, Campbell Soup Company placed Bally on “temporarily on leave" and issued a statement distancing itself from his remarks.
“If the comments were in fact made, they are unacceptable. They do not reflect our values and the culture of our company. We were not aware of the recording," a company spokesperson said. “We are proud of the food we make, the people who make it and the high-quality ingredients we use. The comments heard on the recording about our food are not only inaccurate — they are patently absurd."
The revelations have sparked anger among employees and observers, with critics questioning how such a senior executive could remain in a leadership role while making statements that insult colleagues, demean customers, and undermine the company’s credibility.
The lawsuit and internal investigation are expected to bring further scrutiny on Bally’s conduct and Campbell’s handling of workplace accountability.
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