Who is Martin Bally and what did the Campbell's soup VP say? Bioengineered meat controversy explained as poor people remark sparks backlash

Campbell's, the canned products-selling company, is under fire after an audio recording about the quality of its canned chicken soup went viral. Former employee Robert Garza recorded the audio and released it, along with suing Campbell's and his supervisor, J.D. Aupperle, on November 20.

Garza told Detroit broadcast station, Local News 4, that he worked in the company remotely from September 2024. He met with Martin Bally in a restaurant to discuss a raise in November 2024.

However, Bally supposedly went on a long rant for an hour and 15 minutes about Campbell's products, customers, and even the Indian employees.

Robert Garza recorded the rant and went to his supervisor, J.D. Aupperle, in January 2025. He was then fired 20 days later.

Martin Bally is the Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer of Campbell's.

After his recording came out, it was reported that the company had placed him on temporary leave.

In the viral clip, Martin Bally mocked the canned soup, saying that it is supposedly made with bioengineered meat.

He stated that he would not buy it, and only "poor people" bought the product, which is seemingly made with chicken from "a 3D printer."

"We have shit for fucking poor people. Who buys our shit? I don't buy 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 wanna eat a fucking... a piece of chicken that came from a 3D printer," he said.

Bally also attacked his Indian colleagues, saying that they supposedly don't know anything and could not think for themselves.

Garza's attorney, Zachary Runyan, told the news channel that Robert had no record of disciplinary actions taken against him, nor had anybody complained about his work performance.

He also shared that after Garza filed a complaint with the recording, no one from HR reached out to share a follow-up. It took him ten months to find a new job.

🚨BREAKING: Campbell Soup’s VP and Chief Information Security Officer, Martin Bally, was secretly recorded saying the company uses bioengineered meat, their products aren’t healthy, and that it’s mostly poor people who buy them.

"We have shit for fucking poor people. Who buys… pic.twitter.com/zSUPlDyGoU

— I Meme Therefore I Am 🇺🇸 (@ImMeme0) November 24, 2025

Campbell's released a statement regarding the viral audio clip

The canned goods company told Local News 4 that if the audio is accurate, it is an "unacceptable" act by their employee.

They are investigating the issue because it does not align with the company's "values" and "culture."

In a statement to media outlets, a spokesperson shared that the allegations of their chicken soup being made from bioengineered meat are "inaccurate" and "patently absurd."

They also noted that Martin Bally is from IT and reportedly has no idea about how the products are made.

Campbell's spokesperson told the Daily Mail that the chicken they use is sourced from USDA-approved suppliers that don't use antibiotics.

"The chicken meat used in our soups comes from long-trusted, USDA-approved US suppliers and meets our high quality standards. All of our soups are made with No Antibiotics Ever chicken meat, meaning we don't allow antibiotics to be added to the feed, water, or any commercial vaccines used by our chicken suppliers," they stated.

Meanwhile, Florida's Attorney General James Uthmeier tweeted on Monday that lab-grown meat is banned in the state, and the Consumer Protection Division has launched an investigation against Campbell's.

Stay tuned for more updates.