Florida threatens to shut down Campbell’s after executive admits soup contains lab-grown chicken

Campbell’s Soup

Florida’s attorney general threatened to ban Campbell’s Soup company from selling its products in the state after an executive admitted the soup contains lab-grown chicken.

“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 wrote on X (Twitter) Monday.

Florida law bans lab-grown meat.

Our Consumer Protection division is launching an investigation and will demand answers from Campbell’s. https://t.co/9nDO0EbDwH

— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) November 24, 2025

Florida banned lab-grown meat last year amid news that the USDA approved lab-grown meat for restaurants and grocery stores.

“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 in 2024. “Our administration will continue to focus on investing in our local farmers and ranchers, and we will save our beef.”

A secret recording made by a former Campbell’s employee sparked an outcry on X on Monday. The recording was made public in a lawsuit filed by former employee Robert Garza.

Garza is suing the Campbell’s Soup Company and supervisor J.D. Aupperle for employment discrimination and retaliation. The lawsuit was filed in Michigan on Thursday.

In the audio, Campbell’s Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer, Martin Bally, is heard saying the chicken soup contains lab-grown meat and it is sold to poor people.

Campbell’s Soup

“I don’t buy Campbell’s products barely anymore. It’s not healthy now that I know what the f–k’s in it,” Bally allegedly said.

He also referenced “bioengineered meat,” saying, “I don’t wanna eat a piece of chicken that came from a 3D printer.”

As the uproar spread online on Monday, Campbell’s Soup announced Bally works in IT and he does not know what’s in Campbell’s soups.

“The person alleged to be speaking on the recording works in IT and has nothing to do with how we make our food,” Campbell’s said in a statement on Tuesday.

The company said Bally is currently “on leave” while the company investigates the allegations.

Campbell’s also defended its products, saying allegations that their chicken is lab-grown are “patently absurd.”

“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.”

However, the labels on some cans of Campbell’s Soup notes it contains “GMOs (genetically modified organisms) and a “bioengineered food ingredient.”.

Lab-grown meat is bioengineered food.

Garza’s lawsuit claims he was fired on January 30 in retaliation for recording 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.”