Author of How to Prep When You’re Broke and Bloom Where You’re Planted online course
Nearly every household in America has at least a few of the ubiquitous red-and-white cans in the pantry, but perhaps not for much longer. I’m talking of course, about Campbell’s soup, a brand so iconic that Andy Warhol captured it in one of his most famous works of pop art.
First of all, in a leaked recording, it was revealed that the soups contained lab-grown meat – or “chicken that came from a 3-D printer.” Campbell’s strenuously refutes this comment, though the company does use genetically modified ingredients such as canola, corn, soybeans, and sugar beets.
And, just in case that accusation wasn’t enough to make your guts gurgle, it isn’t even the worst thing on that recording.
The recording
Robert Garza, a cybersecurity analyst for the company, was meeting at a restaurant with Martin Bally, one of Campbell’s vice presidents, to discuss his salary.
He secretly recorded statements made by the VP and chief information security officer during a November 2024 meeting. In a rant that lasted over an hour, here are some of the things captured on the recording.
Local 4 News in Detroit broadcast portions of the recording. In it, a speaker identified as Bally is heard saying, “We have s**t for f***king poor people. Who buys our s**t? I don’t buy Campbell’s products barely anymore. It’s not healthy now that I know what the f**‘s in it.”
He also referenced “bioengineered meat,” saying, “I don’t wanna eat a piece of chicken that came from a 3D printer.”
Just in case that isn’t enough to make you sincerely dislike the speaker, he also disparaged some of his coworkers.
“F***ing Indians don’t know a f***ing thing,” and “Like they couldn’t think for their f***ing selves,” it said in part.
Initially, Garza decided to keep the recording to himself, though he was left with “pure disgust.” However, in January 2025, he reported it to his direct supervisor. Twenty days later, Garza’s employment was terminated.
His attorney, Zachary Runyon, says that Garza reported the incident to protect his coworkers, and that he had a spotless record at the company.
Runyan said Garza had no record of disciplinary action and had not been written up for performance issues.
“He had never had any disciplinary action, they had never written him up for work performance,” Runyan said.
Garza also told reporters that he received no follow-up from Human Resources after submitting his complaint.
Garza has filed suit against Campbell’s.
The lawsuit accuses Campbell Soup Company of maintaining a racially hostile work environment and retaliating against Garza for reporting discriminatory conduct. It asserts claims of employment discrimination and race-based retaliation under Michigan law.
Garza says it is “not the case” that The Campbell Soup Company “treats its employees like family.”
The Campbell Soup Company denies using lab-grown meat.
Campbell’s denies that the company uses lab-grown meat.
“We use 100% real chicken in our soups,” James F. Regan, director of external communications at Campbell’s, told Newsweek. “The chicken meat comes from long-trusted, USDA approved U.S. suppliers and meets our high quality standards. All of our soups are made with No Antibiotics Ever chicken meat. Any claims to the contrary are completely false.”
A spokesperson for Campbell’s also told Newsweek:
“If the recording is legitimate, the comments are unacceptable. They do not reflect our values and the culture of our company. Mr. Bally is temporarily on leave while we conduct an investigation.”
What is lab-grown meat?
Be prepared to learn how it’s better for you than actual meat from a butchered animal. Farm Forward explains the process.
Lab-grown meat, also called cultured or cultivated meat, is grown from the cells of an animal, without any need to slaughter an animal to obtain the meat. The animal’s cells are cultivated in stainless steel drums called bioreactors, which are engineered to encourage replication of cells or growth of biological mass. The products that result from this process have been met with excitement due to their potential to replace the millions of animals being raised on factory farms around the world. Because cultured meat is produced in laboratory environments, it does not suffer from some of the contamination and health issues that plague traditional meat producers, such as antibiotic resistance and foodborne and zoonotic illnesses.
And it’s sooooo wonderful, too.
Cultured meat is cellularly indistinguishable from the flesh of animals raised on a factory farm. However, there are several aspects of health in which cultured meat surpasses traditionally farmed meat. For example, animal agriculture is already one of the major contributors to antibiotic resistance worldwide, and the use of subtherapeutic antibiotics in animal farming is set to increase further in the coming years. Cellular meat does not require the heavy use of antibiotics, so its production does not contribute to this ongoing public health crisis.
Another aspect of cultured meat that makes it healthier than its farm-raised equivalent is its lower likelihood of causing zoonotic diseases. While animal agriculture is likely to be a source of future pandemics caused by illnesses that jump from animals to people, this risk is minimized in cell-cultured agriculture, because there are no animals involved once the cells have been collected.
The article lists one of the major “cons” of lab-grown meat as “cultural acceptance.”
If you haven’t yet, it might be time to meet a local farmer and fill your freezer with meat you can trust.
What are your thoughts?
If you purchase canned soup, would you continue to buy from Campbell’s after learning how the VP thinks about the customers and his colleagues? Do you think his views reflect those of others at the company? What are your thoughts on lab-grown meat? Would you eat it knowingly?
Let’s talk about it in the comments section.
About Daisy
10 Responses
I’m sure we’ve had a good bit of it over the years raising kids, and there’s probably 12 cans stored here now. All different kinds, not just chicken, and I can’t remember the last can of chicken noodle soup, condensed, that I got. The tiny bits of chicken were always laughable (like the pork in a can of pork and beans – yuk throw that away!) Now and then I just can’t think of anything to eat for lunch that’s easy (I’m well supplied with food, but sometimes just want something warm and fast instead of a little sandwich). Opening a can of Chunky Soup or Progresso is easy and satisfies me. So although there are Campbells soups here now and I’m totally turned off at this moment, I’m going to try to forget about it until they’re done. I’m thinking I shouldn’t buy again, but if there’s a sale, yeah I probably will. Maybe I’ll avoid chicken and stay with beef. Now what’s THAT made of?? I’m on the fence with this one. Frankly I don’t trust anything in a can anymore, we KNOW there’s things we shouldn’t eat but hey, it’s there and easy. Last year I canned a LOT of foods including bone broths and various meats and vegetables, and some of that is still here; we made many soups. This year I’ve had 2 bad shoulders and a surgery in August that I wish had been in June – they sure draw it out. I grew a large garden and only canned beets, kraut and spaghetti sauce, as well as applesauce in October, all with hubby’s help or I couldn’t have done it. I did what I could and that was pushing it. We ate it as it ripened and gave it to family instead of canning. I’m 68 and falling apart (thank you arthritis) but we sure do like homemade soups in the winter. The canned ones are used because right now I’m eating from storage because I HURT! Daisy, I know you can relate. I pray that we’re all better in 2026, but I’m going back to my ortho Monday, because the operative shoulder is killing me in a new way now. Life happens, and convenience foods get us through some hurdles. Natural and organic is definitely best, but we don’t always have that available.
After reading your post, the Newsweek article, and watching this clip https://youtu.be/O8FBWZX7sT0
I won’t buy that soup anymore. And I won’t consume mutated meat. Thank you for bringing this issue to our attention. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!
Personally, I never touch Campbell’s canned anything. It’s loaded with salt and preservatives. Growing up po’ , my mom used to bring home a huge shopping bag of unsellable day-old veggies and overripe fruits that she bought from the fruit man at Waldbaum’s for 50 cents, and make soups and stewed fruit with that, 100% natural. Never tasted anything better since, at any price.
I grew up in NJ where Campbell Soup had a huge facility in Camden. Like many I grew up periodically having a Campbell’s Soup as a treat. Tasted good. Years ago the taste of their products changed, tasted disgusting. What a shame. Iconic American institutions literally feeding their consumers crap. Is it also curious that American fast foods are permitted by the I S federal government to include additives not permitted in the EEU? Prescription costs in America highest on the planet. Our food, soups, prescriptions are regulated to protect manufacturers, not human beings. Build a garden. Trade with and support local farmers. Prepare and cook all of your own food. Become far more healthy.
Good Luck friends.
Daisy, you’re awesome
Ok. If that’s how they feel about their own products I don’t have to buy them anymore. I’ve been trying some store brand soups and they are just as good as Campbell’s. I don’t like the idea of lab grown meat either it’s just not for me. I’ll find other brands and read labels closely.
Ps my mom was a chef so I definitely know how to make homemade soups including cream soups which I usually buy from Campbell’s for cooking with. No more in this house. Im going out to buy a REAL chicken!
Keep in mind… Those storebrand soups are likely made by Campbell’s. Supermarket chains generally do not have the capacity to produce a wide variety of their own store brand products, ranging from rice cakes to sausages to pasta… To soup. This is all contracted out. Just something to keep in mind.
OMG!😱 I am so glad you shared this information. If this doesn’t prompt people to cook at home from scratch, I don’t know what will. Get a crock pot, throw in real ingredients and let it cook for 6 hours and you’ll know exactly what you’re feeding your family. When you see “modified food” listed on labels, we truly have no idea what that covers. As consumers we have the right to know what is in the foods we buy. When Campbell’s states that their “bioreactors are engineered to encourage cell replication,” I read recently what that truly means. There is a cancer cell line from 1959 that is still used today because it rapidly accelerates tumor growth in mice for research and that’s what’s causing the prolific biomass growth! No thank you, I will never buy Campbell’s soup again for any reason.
Something else to consider. Most of the store brand and discount label soups that you find in supermarkets are likely also made by Campbell’s. Just something to think about before you switch your brand allegiance and boycott Campbell’s. Homemade soup is delicious and easy to make!
I am grateful that Campbells actually puts on their labels that they use “genetically modified ingredients” which caused me to stop buying from them in the first place years ago.
I do, however, wish that ALL products were labeled to indicate both the genetically modified thing, and who the actual manufacturer is. Think about products that are made by one company for another label. This usually happens with Store brand products, and is very common. For instance, I purchase incontinence products for my mom, and the ones from Meijer are $1 more expensive than the ones purchased at Walmart. When you open the package, the product is exactly the same, down to the label on the actual individual products. SO, we shop at Walmart, and get the same quality for a little less. The only difference is the outer packaging. SO, we can be inadvertently supporting a company that we do not agree with or wish to support. You can evade that by shopping at Aldi…
That said, why not just buy the ingredients and make your own? Not everyone has time, skill or resources. I do occasionally cook, and I do NOT use the conveniently canned cream soups. Mine is better anyway. Want to know what the secret to a fantastic cream sauce is? Cream Cheese! Chicken stock (organic!) and brick of cream cheese. You can use heavy cream if you want, and you can make a simple roux with equal parts flour and butter, but when push comes to shove, add cream cheese.