By Jenna SundelShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberFlorida’s attorney general said he will “shut down” violators of the state’s law on lab-grown meat after launching an investigation into Campbell’s over a secret recording of an executive at the company.
“We don’t do the fake, lab grown meat here in Florida. We’ll enforce the law and shut down!” Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said on X.
Uthmeier said the state’s Consumer Protection division is launching an investigation into the company.
WDIV broadcast portions of the recording. In the recording, a speaker identified as Campbell’s Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer, Martin Bally, is heard saying, "We have s**t for f***ing 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," the speaker said.
The speaker also referenced "bioengineered meat," saying, "I don’t wanna eat a f***ing, a piece of chicken that came from a 3D printer."
“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.”
...Newsweek reached out to the Florida Attorney General’s Office for comment.
Why It Matters
The development and sale of lab-grown meat is banned in seven states, according to the South Carolina Daily Gazette. Florida’s ban was signed into law last year.
“Today, Florida is fighting back against the global elite’s plan to force the world to eat meat grown in a petri dish or bugs to achieve their authoritarian goals,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said in a statement last year on the legislation’s signing. “Our administration will continue to focus on investing in our local farmers and ranchers, and we will save our beef."
What To Know
Robert Garza, a former employee of the company, told WDIV that he recorded the hour-long comments from Bally where he discussed "bioengineered meat" and other topics.
Garza is suing the Campbell Soup Company and supervisor J.D. Aupperle for employment discrimination and retaliation. The lawsuit was filed in Wayne County Circuit Court in Michigan on Thursday.
The lawsuit claims Garza was fired on January 30 in retaliation for raising concerns about Bally and accuses the company of maintaining a racially hostile work environment.
“They have a motto: ‘We treat you like family here at Campbell‘s -- come work for us,’” Garza told WDIV. “‘We treat our employees like family.’ That’s not the case.”
Garza’s attorney said his client “never had any disciplinary action, they had never written him up for work performance.”
A spokesperson for Campbell’s previously 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 People Are Saying
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, on X: “Florida law bans lab-grown meat. Our Consumer Protection division is launching an investigation and will demand answers from Campbell’s.”
A spokesperson for Campbell’s, in previous comments to Newsweeek: "We are proud of the food we make, the people who make it and the high-quality ingredients we use. The comments on the recording are not only inaccurate—they are patently absurd.”
What Happens Next
The case is expected to proceed in Wayne County Circuit Court. Uthmeier said the state’s Consumer Protection is launching an investigation into the company.
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