A Racist Rant Allegedly From a Campbell's Soup Executive Is Mm Mm Bad — What Did He Say?

If you ask anyone about a Campbell's Soup product, they probably have a fond memory of enjoying a warm bowl of soup on a cold day. The classic red-and-white can has been a staple of most cupboards since the now iconic design debuted in 1898. That's right; the company has been around for more than 125 years.

During that time, Campbell's has certainly seen its fair share of controversies. Back in 1989, the company was hit with false advertising claims when the Federal Trade Commission took issue with the fact that its ads "linked the low-fat, low-cholesterol content of its products with lower risk of some types of heart disease," without disclosing that the soups were high in sodium, per UPI. Nearly four decades later, a recording has the soup company in hot water for a different reason.

The existence of the unfortunate recording was first reported on by WDIV, which spoke with the man who filed a lawsuit in connection to it. Robert Garza, of Monroe, Mich., told the outlet that the hour-long-plus recording was made during a meeting. Garza was allegedly speaking with Vice President Martin Bally about his salary when the top executive went off.

"He has no filter,” said Garza. “He thinks he’s a C-level executive at a Fortune 500 company, and he can do whatever he wants because he’s an executive." Garza was working remotely as a security analyst out of Camden, N.J., when the incident occurred in September 2024. That's when Bally allegedly took a detour from the meeting's agenda.

Per the screen recording, Bally allegedly said Campbell's food is for poor people before adding that he doesn't buy their products anymore. "It’s not healthy now that I know what the f--k‘s in it," said Bally. The executive allegedly also claimed Campbell's uses bioengineered meat in their products. "I don't wanna eat a piece of chicken that came from a 3-D printer," he's heard saying in the recording. Things only got worse from there.

Bally allegedly then started making racist comments about Campbell's Soup employees. "F--king Indians don’t know a f--king thing," said the recording. "Like they couldn’t think for their f--king selves." The executive also said he frequently comes to work high on marijuana edibles. Garza told WDIV he felt "pure disgust" following the meeting.

Garza eventually went to human resources with his concerns in January 2025. Zachary Runyan, an attorney representing the security analyst, said his client was fired 20 days later. "He was really sticking up for other people," said Runyan. "And the response to Robert sticking up for other people is he gets fired, which is ridiculous." What made the situation more shocking was the fact that Garza had never been reprimanded at work.

Prior to the recording airing on WDIV, Campbell's spokesperson James Regan told CBS News the company was not aware of it. "The person alleged to be speaking on the recording works in IT and has nothing to do with how we make our food," said Campbell's in a statement.

Bally is on temporary leave while an investigation is being conducted. He posted a picture of his Christmas tree to LinkedIn on Nov. 23 while wishing everyone a "blessed holiday season" filled with joy and peace.