According to CBS News, Martin Valley, vice president of IT at Campbell Soup, referred to Campbell Soup as a “high-processed food for the poor” in November last year while discussing pay with cybersecurity analyst Robert Garza.
Campbell’s Soup is a product that is canned with cooked ingredients in concentrated soup. Since its launch in the 1890s, it has been popular with consumers not only in the United States but also around the world due to the advantage that anyone can simply use it as a meal replacement or as a cooking ingredient.
Garza internally raised issues with the statement that his product was for the poor, but rather received a notice of dismissal from the company. Garza then filed a lawsuit against Campbell Soup seeking compensation for mental suffering.
In the process, a recording file containing the remarks in question was released to the media, sparking a backlash. In particular, the fact that Campbell’s soup is a highly processed food also became a problem. The Consumer Protection Agency launched a quality investigation of Campbell’s soup in Florida, which bans the sale of biologically produced or processed cultured meat.
Campbell Soup furloughed the executive who belatedly made the remarks in question and launched a fact-finding mission, but consumers are strongly criticized. Campbell Soup explained, “The remarks about our products are not only different from the facts, but they are also absurd. Our products use 100% real chicken.”
JENNIFER KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
