Campbell Soup Co. is firing back at viral online rumors alleging its chicken is artificial, 3D-printed, or lab-grown — calling the claims “absurd” and reaffirming that its soups are made with real chicken from trusted U.S. farms.

“We’re proud of the food we make and the high-quality ingredients we use,” the company said in a statement Thursday. “Campbell’s soups are made with real chicken. Full stop.”

Campbell’s says the chicken used in all of its soups comes from “long-trusted, USDA-approved U.S. suppliers” and meets strict internal quality standards, and that includes no antibiotics used on chickens.

Some confusion, the company says, stems from the “bioengineered ingredients” language that appears on certain labels. That designation refers to ingredients derived from genetically modified crops—such as corn, soy, canola or sugar beets — not meat.

“This label has nothing to do with chicken,” Campbell’s said.

Campbell’s issued the statement after a former employee captured a company executive mocking “poor people” and criticizing the brand’s own products. These comments now sit at the center of a newly filed discrimination and retaliation lawsuit by the employee.

According to the complaint, former security analyst Robert Garza secretly recorded an extended rant by Martin Bally, Campbell’s vice president and chief information security officer.

In the recording, Bally allegedly launches into profanity-filled remarks about the company’s soups, calling them “highly processed” food made for “f***ing poor people.” He also reportedly scoffed at the idea of “bioengineered meat,” saying, “I don’t want to eat a piece of chicken that came from a 3D printer.”

Garza claims he began recording after meeting Bally at a restaurant for what he thought was going to be a conversation about his compensation. He told Detroit’s Local 4 News that he hit record because his gut told him “something wasn’t right.”

Garza, who joined the company remotely in September 2024, says he later reported Bally’s comments to Human Resources. Instead of action being taken against the executive, Garza alleges that Campbell’s fired him — a move he argues was retaliation for bringing forward concerns about discriminatory behavior and what he describes as a racially hostile work environment.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday in Wayne County Circuit Court in Michigan, accuses Campbell’s of wrongful termination, retaliation, and allowing a toxic workplace culture to persist.