I wouldn't want to be on the PR team at Campbell's Soup right now

Brands have been facing PR disasters since the beginning of time. From Jaguar's polarising rebrand to the American Eagle ad controversy, we've seen countless companies weather storms of their own making. But it isn't often we hear a brand exec slag off their own product.

In a leaked internal recording, Campbell's Soup's vice president and chief information security officer Martin Bally is heard of not only making disparaging comments about the product, but also insulting colleagues and, perhaps worst of all, customers.

"“We have sh*t for f*cking poor people. Who buys our sh*t? I don’t buy Campbell’s products barely anymore. It’s not healthy now that I know what the f*kcs in it...bioengineered meat, I don’t wanna eat a piece of chicken that came from a 3D printer," Bally is reportedly heard saying on the recording.

The comments have come to light after the colleague who reported the comments was allegedly fired, leading them to sue the company. And now, Campbell's has placed Bally himself on leave.

Needless to say, the comments have led to an outcry on social media. "I guess we'll take our poor people money elsewhere", one Instagram user comments, while another adds, "Just checking on your PR team, I'm sure they are struggling."

Indeed, the company found itself in the unenviable position of having to release a statement countering the claims of its own vice president.

"We are proud of the food we make, the people who make it and the high-quality ingredients we use to provide consumers with good food at a good value. We know that millions of people use Campbell’s products, and we’re honored by the trust they put in us. The comments heard on the recording about our food are not only inaccurate—they are patently absurd," the company announced.

 "The chicken meat in our soups comes from long-trusted, USDA approved U.S. suppliers and meets our high quality standards. All our soups are made with No Antibiotics Ever chicken meat. Any claims to the contrary are completely false."