MONROE, Mich. – The vice president of Campbell Soup Company has been fired after a secret recording revealed him ranting about “bioengineered meat” and the “poor people” who buy the product.
Local 4 first played the exclusive audio last week, when Robert Garza, a former Campbell’s employee, spoke to us about his firing.
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Garza said he secretly recorded a conversation with company Vice President Martin Bally. That recording includes comments about the product’s “bioengineered meat,” “chicken from a 3-D printer,” and “poor people” customers.
On Wednesday, Campbell Soup Company announced that Bally is no longer with the company.
Here is their full statement:
We want to make sure you know the facts.
Robert Garza, a former Campbell’s employee, recently released an alleged year-old audio recording of him speaking with Martin Bally, a VP in Campbell’s Information Technology department. Mr. Garza released the recording now in connection with a lawsuit he filed against the company which alleges retaliation for raising complaints about Mr. Bally. The company learned of the litigation and first heard segments of the audio on November 20, 2025. Neither Mr. Garza nor his lawyer ever notified us of the existence of an audio recording.
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.
We’re thankful for the millions of people who buy and enjoy our products and we’re honored by the trust they put in us. 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 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.
Campbell Soup Company
“The fact that they have now taken the steps they have and fired Martin -- this quickly shows they should have investigated it when Robert first reported it,” Garza’s attorney, Zachary Runyan, said.
Campbell disputes claims about product
Campbell Soup Company has disputed Bally’s claims about the product.
“We are proud of the food we make, the people who make it, and the high-quality ingredients we use,” the company said in a statement. “The comments heard on the recording about our food are not only inaccurate -- they are patently absurd.
“We use 100% real chicken in our soups. The chicken meat comes from long-trusted, USDA-approved U.S. suppliers and meets our high quality standards. All of our soups are made with No Antibiotics Ever chicken meat. Any claims to the contrary are completely false.”
Employee sues after firing
Garza told Local 4 he began working remotely as a security analyst in September 2024 for the company’s Camden, New Jersey, headquarters.
Garza said the conversation with Bally made him feel “pure disgust.” He said he reported what he heard to Aupperle, his direct supervisor, in January 2025.
Garza said he was fired by Campbell Soup Company after he came forward with those concerns.
“He reached out to his supervisor and told the supervisor what Martin was saying, and then out of nowhere, my client was fired,” Runyan said. “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.’ And the response to Robert sticking up for other people is he gets fired, which is ridiculous.”
He filed a lawsuit on Nov. 21 in Wayne County Circuit Court, naming Campbell Soup Company, Bally, and supervisor J.D. Aupperle as defendants.
Garza said the termination was shocking to understand -- especially because he said Bally had praised his performance during that same meeting.
“He had never had any disciplinary action, they had never written him up for work performance,” Runyan said.
The lawsuit claims Garza was fired Jan. 30, 2025, in retaliation for raising concerns about Bally’s behavior, and accuses the company of maintaining a racially hostile work environment.
Garza said he received no follow-up from human resources or Campbell’s. He said it took him 10 months to find another job -- and he calls the way the company handled everything “simply terrible.”
“They have a motto: ‘We treat you like family here at Campbell‘s -- come work for us,’” Garza said. “‘We treat our employees like family.’ That’s not the case.”
Campbell’s defends firing
Local 4 received a statement from Campbell Soup Company on Tuesday in regard to Garza’s firing.
We do not comment on the specifics of personnel matters but can share that Mr. Garza’s employment was terminated for good reason. He was a Campbell’s employee for less than five months.
The company learned of the litigation and first heard segments of the audio on Nov. 20, 2025. Neither Mr. Garza nor his lawyer ever shared previously that a recording even existed.
James F. Regan, of Campbell Soup Company