The Campbell’s Company has terminated the employment of Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer Martin Bally after a former employee released an alleged audio recording of Bally disparaging the company’s products and consumers.

Robert Garza released the recording in connection with a lawsuit he filed in Michigan against Campbell’s that alleges retaliation for raising complaints about Bally. In the recording, as multiple news sources report, Bally allegedly says the company’s products are for “poor people” and that they contain “bioengineered meat.” Bally also allegedly made derogatory comments about his Indian colleagues.

The Campbell’s Company says it believes Bally spoke in the recording and ended his employment on Nov. 25.

The Detroit Free Press, which also reported on the suit, published in October that Michigan is a “one-party consent state,” meaning only one person involved in a recorded conversation has to consent to it.

“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,” Campbell’s says. “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. The comments heard on the recording about our food are not only inaccurate — they are patently absurd.”

Campbell’s specifies it sources chicken meat for its soups from “long-trusted, USDA-approved U.S. suppliers.” The company adds it does not use lab-grown or 3-D printed chicken, but the “bioengineered” refers to genetically modified crops such as canola, corn, soybean and sugar beets.

Campbell’s CEO Mick Beekhuizen reiterated these points in a Nov. 27 video statement.

“These claims about our chicken are not only false, they’re absolutely ridiculous,” Beekhuizen says. “I know there is a recording that prompted this misinformation. It included wrong and offensive comments about our food, our consumers and our people. It doesn’t represent Campbell’s views or values or mine. We do not tolerate this conduct. I want to apologize for any hurt these comments may have caused.”

Technology continues to advance for cell-cultivated meat and seafood, with the Good Food Institute reporting investments of $139 million in 2024. However, the sector faces challenges around scale, price parity, and regulatory and consumer acceptance. For example, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier says on X the state’s Consumer Protection Division is launching an investigation into Campbell’s chicken meat.

Adam Yee, a food scientist and founder of food consultancy Umai Works, points to these concerns and the feasibility of a major company employing this technology in a LinkedIn post.

“We wish the technology could serve everyone if it was true but with the public reaction to this lie, we have a long way to go technologically and culturally for people to actually want to eat it,” he writes.