A former employee of The Campbell's Company is suing the company for retaliation and racial discrimination and racial harassment in conjunction with his firing.
A former employee of The Campbell's Company is suing the company for retaliation and racial discrimination and racial harassment in conjunction with his firing.

A former employee claims in a lawsuit that a Campbell’s Co. executive called the company’s products “highly” processed food for “poor people.”

Robert Garza, a former cybersecurity analyst for the company (formerly known as Campbell Soup Co.), filed a racial discrimination and racial harassment suit on Nov. 20 in Wayne County (Michigan) Circuit Court.

He alleges that during a November 2024 meeting with the company’s vice president of information technology, Martin Bally, the executive said Campbell’s food is “highly process food” for “poor people.”

Garza reportedly recorded his meeting with Bally, which he expected to be a discussion about his salary, and shared it with Local 4 WDIV Detroit, a TV station.

Garza alleges in the suit that Bally also made racist comments about Indian workers at the company, calling them “idiots” and saying he disliked working with them. Bally also told Garza he came to work high on marijuana edibles, Garza alleges.

In the recording Garza shared with WDIV, the person can be heard saying he doesn’t buy Campbell’s products because he doesn’t know what is in them.

“We have (expletive) that’s for poor people,” you can hear the male voice say in the recording, a copy of which was shared with USA TODAY. “I don’t buy (expletive) Campbell’s products barely anymore.”

The person went on to say that when he looks at a can of Campbell’s soup, he thinks it contains “bioengineered meat.”

“I don’t want to eat a (expletive), a piece of chicken that came from a 3D printer, do you?” the person said.

In a statement regarding the lawsuit, Campbell’s said, “If the comments heard on the audio recording were in fact made by Mr. Bally, they are unacceptable. Such language does not reflect our values and the culture of our company. We do not tolerate that kind of language under any circumstances.”

Bally is temporarily on leave while the company conducts an investigation, Campbell’s said.

Campbell’s suit filed in retaliation for firing and hostile work environment

In the lawsuit, Garza said he informed his manager, J.D. Aupperle – listed as director of cybersecurity operations at Campbell’s on Aupperle’s LinkedIn page – about Bally’s alleged comments on Jan. 10. Garza wanted to report the incident to human resources, but Aupperle did not encourage him to do so.

Garza said he was fired Jan. 30 for filing complaints of racial discrimination and racial harassment, along with other reasons, he alleges in the suit. Bally and Aupperle are listed as defendants in the suit, along with Campbell’s; Garza alleges they were responsible for his termination, created a hostile work environment and violated his civil rights.

He is seeking damages for emotional, economic and non-economic damages, including stress, humiliation, embarrassment and mental anguish, as well as attorney fees and costs.

After being fired, Garza said it took him 10 months to find another job, he told WDIV.

“They have a motto: ‘We treat you like family here at Campbell’s – come work for us,’” Garza told WDIV. “ ‘We treat our employees like family.’ That’s not the case.”

‘We are proud of the food we make’: Campbell’s releases statement

“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,” Campbell’s said in its statement. “We know that millions of people use Campbell’s products, and we’re honored by the trust they put in us. The comments heard on the recording about our food are not only inaccurate – they are patently absurd.”

The Campbell Soup Co. changed its name in September 2024 to The Campbell’s Co. to reflect “the full breadth of the company’s portfolio,” CEO Mark Clouse said at the time. The company also markets Pace and Prego sauces, V8 juices and other products.

Chicken meat in Campbell’s soups “comes from long-trusted, USDA-approved U.S. suppliers and meets our high quality standards,” the company says on its website.

Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lawsuit claims Campbell's exec mocked 'poor people' who buy its food

Reporting by Mike Snider, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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