Campbell’s has placed its US CISO and vice president on temporary leave while it investigates allegations that he disparaged customers, the company’s products, and Indian staffers.
Martin Bally was secretly recorded by a former colleague during a September 2024 meeting, during which it is claimed he described the soup merchant’s products as “highly processed” and “shit.”
Click On Detroit described the audio as “an hour-long tirade,” during which Bally allegedly made various unfiltered remarks about the company.
The comments were recently publicized as part of a lawsuit, a copy of which was obtained by the local news outlet, brought against Campbell’s by former remote security analyst Robert Garza.
Garza claimed that, after he sensed something was off during a September 2024 restaurant meeting to discuss his salary, he began recording Bally’s alleged remarks.
He claimed he brought the recording to his supervisor, J.D. Aupperle, in January 2025, and was dismissed from the company 20 days later.
The lawsuit further alleges that Bally admitted to being high on cannabis edibles while at work, and made xenophobic comments regarding the company’s Indian employees, disparaging them by claiming that they couldn’t think for themselves.
Among the disparaging remarks made against the company’s products and its customers, Bally allegedly said: “We have shit for fucking poor people. Who buys our shit?”
He also allegedly spoke poorly of the soup giant’s ingredients: “I don’t buy fucking Campbell’s products barely anymore. It’s not healthy. Now that I know what the fuck’s in it. Even in a can of soup, I look at it… bioengineered meat – I don’t want to eat a fucking piece of chicken that came from a 3D printer, do you?”
There is no public evidence that Campbell’s uses 3D-printed meat. The company does say that it uses Genetically Modified Organisms in some products, though all of those it lists are plant products.
Garza claimed he had never received a poor performance review while working at Campbell’s, and had never faced any disciplinary action.
The lawsuit, filed in Wayne County Circuit Court, Michigan, last week, comes after it allegedly took Garza ten months to find another job after being dismissed.
Garza said he felt “pure disgust” after leaving the meeting with Bally, and described the way Campbell’s handled the complaint as “simply terrible.”
The soup slinger confirmed to Complex on Monday that Bally had been placed on leave while it investigates the allegations.
“If the recording is legitimate, the comments are unacceptable. They do not reflect our values and the culture of our company. Mr Bally is temporarily on leave while we conduct an investigation.
“We are proud of the food we make, the people who make it, and the high-quality ingredients we use. The comments on the recording are not only inaccurate – they are patently absurd.”
“Keep in mind, the alleged comments are made by an IT person, who has nothing to do with how we make our food,” the statement added. ®
