Campbell’s says executive who disparaged its food has left the company

Campbell’s said Wednesday that Martin Bally, an executive who allegedly made comments to a former employee that disparaged Indian workers and said the company’s products were for “poor people,” has left the company. 

In a statement, Campbell’s said it determined that a recording that captured the purported conversation involving Bally is authentic. The company said Bally, a vice president in information technology at the food manufacturer, “is no longer employed by the company.”

The alleged comments came to light last week in a lawsuit filed by Robert Garza, who was hired by Campbell’s as a cybersecurity analyst in September 2024. In the complaint, Garza claimed Bally made the offensive remarks during a November 2024 meeting to discuss his salary. 

According to the suit, Bally made several comments about Indian workers and said Campbell’s makes “highly [processed] food” for “poor people.” 

The discussion between Garza and Bally was recorded, according to Runyan Law Group, which is representing Garza. That recording captured comments, allegedly by Bally, that claimed the company’s soup uses “bioengineered meat” and that denigrated the abilities of Indian workers.

“The comments were vulgar, offensive and false, and we apologize for the hurt they have caused,” Campbell’s said in its latest statement. “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.”

The company added that it learned about the lawsuit and first heard “segments” of the recording on Nov. 20, noting that neither Garza nor his attorney had notified Campbell’s about the audio recording’s existence. 

According to Garza’s lawsuit, he informed his manager about the comments on Jan. 10, and further alleged he wasn’t encouraged to report the incident to human resources. Garza was then “abruptly terminated from employment” shortly afterwards, the lawsuit alleges.

Garza’s suit alleges he suffered stress, humiliation, embarrassment and mental anguish as a result of Bally and his manager’s actions. He is seeking compensation for emotional, reputational and economic harm, as well as attorneys’ fees, according to the complaint.