Campbell’s exec on leave after allegedly mocking ‘poor people’ who eat its soup | CBC News

Tensions are perhaps already high in an era of sky-high grocery prices, amid a lack of affordable meal options and as consumers struggle with annual holiday spending stress.

So, some people are pretty fired up over a new lawsuit that alleges an executive at Campbell’s mocked its own canned soup and the people who eat it, calling it food for “poor people.”

“Just in time for Thanksgiving, I’m not buying any of your products and I’m telling everyone I know not to either,” one user commented on a Campbell’s Instagram post Monday.

“Time to boycott, maybe the rich folks will start buying it,” commented another.

The lawsuit filed by a former security analyst at Campbell’s alleges he was fired for reporting inappropriate conduct by company vice-president and chief information security officer, Martin Bally.

In the court documents filed in Michigan’s Wayne County Circuit Court on Nov. 20, plaintiff Robert Garza claims he met with Bally in November last year to discuss his salary.

During the meeting, “Bally made several racist comments that shocked Plaintiff,” the documents say. For example, Garza claims that Bally insulted Indigenous coworkers, making several racist slurs, and claims Bally disclosed he often comes to work high on edibles.

Bally also allegedly “said that Campbell’s is ‘highly processed food’ for ‘poor people,'” the documents add.

Garza claims he secretly recorded the meeting and shared the video with several media outlets. In the video, the person speaking, who Garza alleges is Bally, calls the company’s products “s–t for f—ing poor people.”

The person also said Campbell’s uses “bioengineered meat” and “chicken that came from a 3D printer.”

CBC has not independently confirmed the video. Bally has not yet commented publicly on the allegations in the lawsuit, and CBC’s attempts to contact him were unsuccessful.

Bally has been placed on temporary leave while Campbell’s conducts its own investigation, a spokesperson for the company told CBC News in an email statement Tuesday that was also posted online.

“If the comments were in fact made, they are unacceptable. They do not reflect our values and the culture of our company,” the statement says.

“We are proud of the food we make, the people who make it and the high-quality ingredients we use. We know that millions of people use Campbell’s products, and we’re honoured by the trust they put in us.”

WATCH | What would it take for Canadians to eat less ultra-processed food?:

What would it take for Canadians to eat less ultra-processed foods?

Ultra-processed foods are not good for your health, but they tend to be cheaper, easier to prepare and shelf stable. CBC’s Jennifer Yoon explains why it’s hard to stop eating them and what Canada could do to help you consume fewer of them.

‘Inaccurate and absurd’

The lawsuit comes to light as many people across the U.S. and Canada are struggling to eat amid rising prices. In Canada, for instance, food costs have been soaring for more than a year, with grocery inflation generally trending upward since April 2024.

Food remains the dominant household financial concern for Canadians, notes the latest edition of the Canadian Food Sentiment Index, released by Dalhousie University’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab.

On social media, many customers expressed disgust at the allegations in the court documents. Some said they planned to throw out any cans of soup in their pantries and urged others not to buy from the company again.

But Campbell’s refutes the claims about its ingredients, noting in its statement to CBC News that “the person alleged to be speaking on the recording works in IT and has nothing to do with how we make our food.”

“The comments made about our food are completely inaccurate and absurd,” the company added.

In a statement posted to the company’s website Tuesday, Campbell’s reiterated that it does not use 3D-printed chicken, lab-grown chicken or any form of artificial or bioengineered meat in its soups. 

“Campbell’s soups are made with real chicken. Period.”

‘Abruptly fired’

Garza reported the meeting with Bally to his supervisor back in 2024, according to the court documents, and claimed that around Jan. 10, 2025, he told his supervisor he wanted to inform human resources. He alleges his supervisor “did not encourage” him to report the comments.

Garza was “abruptly terminated” on Jan. 30, according to the court documents. In the documents, he claims it was retaliatory for filing complaints. Now, he’s seeking a “sum that the court or jury find to be fair and just, including attorney fees, costs and exemplary damages.”

Campbell’s response did not address Garza’s allegation that he was terminated for his complaints.

In a written statement, Garza’s lawyer Zachary Runyan said the whole situation has been very hard on his client.

“He thought Campbell’s would be thankful that he reported Martin’s behavior, but instead he was abruptly fired,” Runyan, of Runyan Law Group in St. Clair Shores, Mich., told CBC News.

“We look forward to obtaining justice for Robert.”