A Vice President at Campbell Soup Company has come under fire after being recorded making disparaging remarks about the company’s products and his colleagues. He mocked the “poor people” who buy their products and even called his Indian coworkers “stupid.” The employee who exposed these comments claims to have faced retaliation for his actions.
Robert Garza, a former cybersecurity analyst from Monroe, Michigan, reported that he secretly recorded Martin Barry, Campbell’s VP and chief information security officer, during a meeting late last year. What he captured was a distressing hour-long rant filled with contempt.
Garza had started working at Campbell’s headquarters in Camden, New Jersey, in September 2024. Sensing something was amiss with Barry before the meeting, he soon found himself hearing Barry’s harsh criticism of the very products he managed.
In a recording over 75 minutes long, Barry allegedly stated, “We have products for the fucking poor people. Who’s going to buy our products? I hardly ever buy Campbell products anymore,” revealing his disdain for the company’s offerings.
Barry also expressed doubts over the healthiness of the ingredients, questioning the use of “bionically engineered meat” and voicing his dislike of 3D printed chicken.
Additionally, the recording included comments where Barry disparagingly addressed his Indian coworkers, claiming, “Fucking Indians don’t know shit,” suggesting they couldn’t think independently.
Garza described his shock to Local 4 News, stating, “He has no filter. He thinks he’s an executive at a Fortune 500 company and that he can do whatever he wants.” Barry reportedly admitted to often arriving at work under the influence of marijuana edibles, which Garza also recorded.
Initially, Garza chose to keep the recording private while processing its contents. However, after weeks, he decided to report Barry’s conduct to his manager in January. Garza claims that during the same meeting where the abuse occurred, Barry had actually praised his performance.
Attorney Zachary Runyan noted that Garza’s reporting was met with swift repercussions. After speaking out about Barry’s comments, Garza was unexpectedly fired. “He was really going out of his way to help others,” Runyan mentioned.
Garza reported being terminated 20 days after raising his concerns, expressing he felt blindsided and that the actions seemed to be an attempt to silence him. The lawsuit filed on January 30 claims he was fired in retaliation for reporting discriminatory behavior and maintaining that the company fostered a hostile work environment.
Garza criticized the lack of response from human resources after voicing his concerns, stating it took him 10 months to secure another job. He lamented the stark contrast between the company’s supposed values and their actions, stating, “At Campbell’s, we treat you like family. Come work for us… it’s not.”
The newspaper has reached out to Campbell for further comment.
“This is a very difficult situation for Robert,” Runyan added. “He thought Campbell would be grateful if he reported Martin’s actions, but instead he was abruptly terminated. We look forward to seeing Robert get the justice he deserves,” he concluded.
