Former employees allege in the lawsuit that Campbell’s Company executives referred to the company’s products as “highly” processed foods intended for “poor people.”
On November 20, Robert Garza, a former cybersecurity analyst for the company, filed a racial discrimination and racial harassment lawsuit against the company, formerly known as Campbell Soup Company, in Wayne County (Michigan) Circuit Court.
He claims that in a November 2024 meeting with Martin Barry, the company’s vice president of information technology, the executive told him that Campbell’s food was “highly processed (sic) food” for “poor people.”
Garza reportedly recorded a meeting he expected to discuss salary with Barry and shared it with local television station 4WDIV Detroit.
Garza alleges in the complaint that Barry also made racist comments about the company’s Indian employees, calling them “idiots” and saying he did not want to work with them. Barry also told Garza that he was there to work on marijuana edibles, Garza claims.
In the recording Garza shared with WDIV, the person can be heard saying he doesn’t buy Campbell’s products anymore because he doesn’t know what’s in them.
Campbell’s said in a statement about the lawsuit: “If the comments heard on the audio recording were in fact made by Mr. Barry, they are unacceptable. Such language does not reflect our values or our culture. We do not tolerate such language under any circumstances.”
Campbell’s said Barry has been placed on temporary leave while the company conducts its investigation.
Mr. Campbell’s lawsuit was filed in retaliation for his termination and hostile work environment.
Garza said in his lawsuit that he informed his supervisor, J.D. Opal, who is listed on Opal’s LinkedIn page as Campbell’s head of cybersecurity operations, about Barry’s alleged comments on Jan. 10 and that he wanted to inform human resources about the incident. Garza said Opal did not recommend that he report the incident to human resources.
Garza said in his lawsuit that he was fired on Jan. 30 for filing complaints of racial discrimination and racial harassment, among other reasons. Barry and Opal are named as defendants in the lawsuit, along with Campbell. Garza claims they were responsible for his termination, created a hostile work environment and violated his civil rights.
He seeks damages for emotional, economic and non-economic damages, including stress, humiliation, embarrassment and emotional distress, as well as attorney’s fees.
Garza told WDIV that it took him 10 months to find another job after he was fired.
“Their motto is, ‘At Campbell’s, we treat you like family. Come work for us,'” Garza told WDIV. “We treat our employees like family.” That’s not true. ”
“We’re proud of the food we make”: Campbell’s release statement
“We’re proud of the food we make, the people who make it, and the quality ingredients we use to provide consumers with good food at affordable prices,” Campbell’s said in a statement. “We know that millions of people use Campbell’s products, and we are honored by the trust they place in us. The comments heard on the recordings about our food products are not only inaccurate, they are patently unreasonable.”
Campbell Soup Company changed its name to The Campbell’s Company in September 2024 to reflect “the full scope of the company’s portfolio,” CEO Mark Close said at the time. The company also sells Pace sauce, Prego sauce, V8 juice, and other products.
The chicken in Campbell’s soups is “sourced from long-trusted, USDA-approved suppliers and meets our high quality standards,” the company says on its website.
Mike Snyder is a national trends news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, and X, and email him at: mike snyder & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com
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