Campbell’s Says Executive Accused of Racist and Disparaging Comments Has Left Company

(Cole Burston / Bloomberg)

Campbell’s said the senior executive accused of disparaging the company’s food and making racist remarks toward colleagues, has left the company.

The departure follows a review by the Campbell’s after Robert Garza, a former cybersecurity analyst at the company, released a recorded audio of a meeting with Martin Bally, Campbell’s vice president of information technology, that is part of a lawsuit.

According to the complaint, Bally, in a meeting with Garza, said Campbell’s products are highly processed food for poor people, and he called Indian co-workers “idiots.” Garza was terminated a few weeks after reporting the alleged remarks to Bally’s manager—a move he claims was retaliatory.

In a Wednesday statement, Campbell’s said the voice in the recording is Bally and that he is “no longer employed at the company.” Campbell’s called the comments “vulgar, offensive and false.”

Bally couldn’t be reached for comment.

“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 said.

The packaged food company, known for its chicken noodle soup, also owns brands like Goldfish and Snyder’s of Hanover pretzels.

Campbell’s said the comments about its food are “patently absurd,” noting that the chicken meat in its canned soups comes from USDA-approved suppliers, meets high-quality standards, and doesn’t contain antibiotics.

Campbell’s said it doesn’t use lab-grown chicken or any form of artificial or bioengineered meat in its soups. “Campbell’s soups are made with real chicken. Period,” the company said.

The company said that neither Garza nor his lawyer notified Campbell’s of the existence of the audio recording. Garza’s lawyer didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Campbell stock slipped 0.2% on Wednesday.

Write to Evie Liu at evie.liu@barrons.com