The Campbell’s food company has fired an executive who allegedly called the company’s product “sh-t for f-cking poor people,” Fox Business reported.
Martin Bally, who was vice president of the company’s information security department, was allegedly caught on a secret recording from a year ago insulting the company’s food. A spokesperson for the company told the outlet that Bally’s comments are “vulgar, offensive, and false.”
Campbell’s said the voice in the recording is believed to be Bally’s, and he is no longer employed by the company as of Tuesday.
“We apologize for the hurt they have caused,” the spokesperson said. “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 previously told the New York Post that Bally had been placed on temporary leave during an internal investigation.
The recording was recently released as part of a lawsuit brought by former employee Robert Garza in Michigan’s Wayne County Circuit Court, according to the report.
Garza, who worked for the company as a cybersecurity analyst, said he recorded the audio during a restaurant meeting in November of last year, Local 4 News Detroit reported.
Garza said he kept the audio to himself initially before turning it in to his supervisor, according to the report. Garza was terminated roughly 20 days later, and he is now accusing the company of retaliation and maintaining a racially hostile work environment, the complaint reportedly alleges.
In the audio, Bally can allegedly be heard saying, “We have s— for f—ing poor people. Who buys our s—? I don’t buy Campbell’s products barely anymore,” as well as, “Bioengineered meat – I don’t wanna eat a piece of chicken that came from a 3-D printer.”
He also allegedly said: “F—ing Indians don’t know a f—ing thing. They couldn’t think for their f—ing selves.”
Campbell’s said it first heard of the lawsuit and parts of the recording on Nov. 20 and said neither Garza nor his attorney notified the company, according to the report.
Campbell’s additionally called the comments on the recordings “inaccurate” and “patently absurd.”
“We’re thankful for the millions of people who buy and enjoy our products and we’re honored by the trust they put in us,” the company said. “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.”
