Campbell’s Promises Its Soups Are Not Made with 3D Printed Meat

Food manufacturing giant Campbell’s has moved to assure consumers that its soup products are not produced using 3D-printed chicken, lab-grown chicken, or any form of bioengineered meat. This clarification comes in the wake of leaked audio recordings that purportedly captured the company’s Vice President of Information Technology claiming the meat used by Campbell's "came from a 3D printer." The executive involved has since been placed on administrative leave.

Campbell’s issued an official statement on its website, directly addressing the allegations."A recent video contained false comments about our ingredients," the company stated. "The comments heard on the recording about our food are not only inaccurate, they are absurd. We do not use lab-grown chicken or any form of artificial or bioengineered meat in our soups."The company further clarified that it exclusively sources chicken from "reputable" US suppliers who meet all USDA standards.

The controversial audio was released as part of a lawsuit filed against Campbell’s by a former employee. This individual claims to have recorded a conversation with IT VP Martin Bally, during which the person identified as Bally allegedly made racist remarks and referred to Campbell’s food as "bioengineered" and intended for "poor people."

A specific segment from the alleged conversation captures the contentious claims:"Even in a can of soup, I look at it — and look at bioengineered meat," the voice on the recording says. "I don’t want to eat a fucking piece of chicken that came from a 3D printer, do you?"

It's worth noting that the concept of 3D-printed chicken, while seemingly futuristic, is not entirely hypothetical. In 2020, KFC, a brand no stranger to chicken-related speculation, announced a partnership with a Russian firm to explore methods for "printing" lab-grown chicken nuggets using a blend of chicken cells and plant-based components.

Campbell’s has confirmed that Martin Bally has been put on leave pending an investigation into the alleged comments. The company emphasized its position, stating:"Keep in mind, the alleged comments heard on the audio were made by a person in IT, who has nothing to do with how we make our food."