When a recording leaked of a Campbell’s Co. executive spewing racist comments and disparaging his company’s products, the soup maker sprang into action and responded with force. It took the matter very seriously. But the episode may also suggest a culture that doesn’t encourage employees to warn about potential crises.

Robert Garza, a cybersecurity analyst Campbell’s fired in January, leaked the audio to a news outlet only last month. Garza taped a November 2024 meeting he had with Martin Bally, a Campbell’s VP of information technology. On the recording, Bally is heard making racist comments about the firm’s Indian workers and maligning its products. The company makes — according to what Bally is heard saying — processed food for “poor people” that includes “bioengineered meat” and “chicken that came from a 3D printer.”

The background to the story is that on Nov. 20 Garza sued Campbell’s, Bally and Garza’s manager alleging he was let go for complaining about Bally’s alleged comments. Garza, a Michigander, shared the recording with TV station Local 4 WDIV Detroit, which ran with it on Nov. 23. It got a lot of attention.

IT Person

The earliest response we’ve seen from Camden, New Jersey-based Campbell’s was a bad statement in a Nov. 25 Wall Street Journal story: “Keep in mind, the alleged comments heard on the audio were made by a person in IT, who has nothing to do with how we make our food.” We’re sure that didn’t allay any concerns.

But then it posted a fuller statement (“We want to make sure you know the facts”) in which it said it learned of Garza’s lawsuit and heard snippets of the year-old audio only on Nov. 20. It confirmed it was Bally on the tape and condemned what he said. “The comments were vulgar, offensive and false, and we apologize for the hurt they have caused,” it wrote. It revealed that, as of Nov. 25, Bally was no longer employed there.

Then it got to the meat of the matter, the part that seemed to upset the company most: Bally’s claims about its ingredients. “The comments heard on the recording about our food are not only inaccurate — they are patently absurd,” it said. The chicken “comes from long-trusted, USDA approved U.S. suppliers,” it said, adding, “All our soups are made with No Antibiotics Ever chicken meat.”

That statement links to a FAQ attesting to the ingredients’ quality (“Campbell’s does not use 3D-printed chicken, lab-grown chicken or any form of artificial or bioengineered meat in our soups”). It also links to a video message from CEO Mick Beekhuizen (pictured). The video transcript uses much the same language as the statement and the FAQ. “These claims about our chicken are not only false, they’re absolutely ridiculous,” Beekhuizen says. He repeats the 3D-printer claim to rebut it.

Truly Miffed

It’s admirable that Campbell’s took the situation so seriously. It used some strident language that rejected typical corporatespeak. You get the feeling the company was truly miffed over the matter. We would have counseled it not to repeat the 3D-printer claim so much, as it only solidifies the accusation in the listener’s mind. It also could have spent more pixels defending its customers and employees.

In addition, if Garza’s claims are true, the episode hints at a company culture that doesn’t encourage worker whistle-blowing. As Fortune editor Ruth Umoh put it in discussing the Campbell’s case, “Reporting systems work only when employees believe their concerns will be taken seriously rather than met with indifference or retaliation.”

But all in all, it’s good that, in its comms response, Campbell’s didn’t chicken out.

Image Credit: Campbell’s

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