A Campbell’s Co. executive has been fired after a year-old recording surfaced of him trashing the company’s products and its customers.
Martin Bally, a vice president in Campbell’s IT department, allegedly described its products as being for “poor people” and referred to Indian colleagues as “idiots.”
He also claimed the company uses “3D-printed meat.”
“We have s**t for f**king poor people. Who buys our s**t? I don’t buy Campbell’s products anymore. It’s not healthy now that I know what the f**k’s in it. Bioengineered meat! I don’t wanna eat a f**king piece of chicken that came from a 3D printer,” Bally said, according to the recording.
The expletive-filled rant was released by former Campbell’s employee Robert Garza who is involved in a lawsuit against the company.
Soup firm reels after rant goes viral
Bally was placed on temporary leave while Campbell’s investigated the matter.
On Wednesday, Campbell’s said it believes the voice on the recording is “in fact Martin Bally” and that he is “no longer employed by the company.”
“The comments were vulgar, offensive and false, and we apologise for the hurt they have caused,” the company said in a statement.
“This behaviour does not reflect our values and the culture of our company, and we will not tolerate that kind of language under any circumstances.
“We’re thankful for the millions of people who buy and enjoy our products and, we’re honoured by the trust they put in us.
“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 push to protect its reputation
Campbell’s has updated its website to include a set of FAQs, including “Is Campbell’s chicken 3D-printed?”
The company said its products contain “real chicken meat, from real farms” which come from “reputable US-based suppliers.”
“The comments heard on the recording about our food are not only inaccurate, they are absurd,” Campbell’s said.
“No. We do not use lab-grown chicken or any form of artificial or bioengineered meat in our soups.”
Campbell’s has worked with agencies including Leo and Mischief @ No Fixed Address.