Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said Tuesday the state’s Consumer Protection division is launching an investigation into canned soup company Campbell’s use of lab-grown meat.
The announcement comes as a former Campbell’s employee launches legal action against the company following a meeting with the vice president that turned into an hour-long rant mocking “poor people,” calling Indian employees “idiots,” admitting to working high off edibles and using bioengineered meat.
Robert Garza, a former cybersecurity analyst from Michigan, was working for Campbell’s Camden, New Jersey headquarters when he met with Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer Martin Bally for a standard salary discussion. Garza recorded the conversation that ultimately left him feeling “pure disgust,” he told Detroit’s Local 4 News.
“We have shit for fucking poor people. Who buys our shit? I don’t buy Campbell’s products barely anymore,” Bally is allegedly heard saying.
“It’s not healthy now that I know what the fuck’s in it.”
He goes on to claim the meat used in Campbell’s products is fake.
“Bioengineered meat — I don’t wanna eat a piece of chicken that came from a 3-D printer. Do you?”
He’s also heard using racist remarks to blast Indian employees.
“Fucking Indians don’t know a fucking thing.”
“They couldn’t think for their fucking selves … I’m like ‘You dumb fucks.'”
Garza also recorded Bally saying he regular comes to work high off of marijuana edibles.
A Campbell’s spokesperson has said Bally is “temporarily on leave while we conduct an investigation.”
“If the comments were in fact made, they are unacceptable. They do not reflect our values and the culture of our company. We were not aware of the recording,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “We are proud of the food we make, the people who make it and the high-quality ingredients we use. The comments heard on the recording about our food are not only inaccurate — they are patently absurd.”
Campbell’s spokesperson shared with Orlando Weekly a webpage that reads:
“The chicken meat used in Campbell’s® soups comes from long-trusted, USDA approved U.S. suppliers and meets our high quality standards. Campbell’s® does not use 3D-printed chicken, lab-grown chicken, or any form of artificial or bioengineered meat in our soups.”
Garza says he was fired from his job for coming forward. He told Local 4 News the company has not followed up with him after he has released the audio and raised concerns about the workplace environment.
In Florida, AG Uthmeier is most concerned with the admission of the company’s alleged use of bioengineered meat.
He wrote on social media Monday, “Florida law bans lab-grown meat. Our Consumer Protection division is launching an investigation and will demand answers from Campbell’s.”
Florida’s ban on lab-grown meat was signed into law in May 2024 by Gov. Ron DeSantis. It went into effect the following July.
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