Campbell's Soup Company just got hit with a major shake-up — the food giant confirmed that one of its senior executives is no longer employed after audio leaked featuring shockingly inappropriate remarks about the company's products, customers and employees. The now-former executive, Martin Bally, faced criticism after a former employee sued, accusing Bally of belittling Campbell soups as "for poor people" and the chicken used in their products as "3D-printed."
The controversy erupted after a former cybersecurity analyst, who requested not to be named publicly, filed a wrongful-termination lawsuit accusing the company of firing him after he raised concerns about Bally's inflammatory comments. The employee recorded a meeting in late 2024 at which Bally is said to have launched into a profanity-filled tirade, insulting Campbell's food, calling it "shit for fucking poor people," claiming the meat was bioengineered and describing colleagues of Indian descent as cartoonish.
On the recording, which reportedly features a voice identified as Bally's, the man says he refuses to buy Campbell's food anymore because of "what is in it" and cites chicken that was printed by 3D printers. The comments were jarring — not only for the vitriol, but also because they came from someone running data and technology for a major food brand.
And when the recording leaked after the lawsuit was filed on Nov. 20, she faced swift backlash. Consumers, advocacy organisations and even state officials chimed in. In Florida, where lab-grown and "bioengineered meat" are drawing regulatory scrutiny, the state attorney general was reported to be interested in investigating the claims.
Campbell's put out a statement calling the comments "vulgar, offensive and false" and reiterated that its soups do not contain lab-grown, bioengineered or 3D-printed chicken meat. The company said that it uses real chicken supplied by reputable U.S. companies following USDA practices.
On Nov. 26, Campbell's confirmed that Bally was no longer employed at the company. The company said its move reflected the fact that the comments — if they were indeed made by him — are "inconsistent with our values and we will not tolerate that kind of language under any circumstances."
For many employees and customers, the episode raises broader issues of corporate culture, accountability, and who speaks for a brand when its leaders cross far beyond acceptable bounds. The suit also alleges that the employee who reported the comments was retaliated against and then fired — claims that threaten to trigger further legal inquiry alongside calls for greater transparency within Campbell's.
Will this scandal affect Campbell's trust in the long run? In terms of people's trust, the company has found itself at a reckoning. It had decisively taken measures by severing ties with a longtime executive, one who could send another message: In 2025, brand reputation and corporate values still exist.
