In this issue...
• Campbell's fires company exec after he insults their customers and products
• Did your can of cranberry sauce have water in it instead of what you expected?
• By the numbers X 10 + 1
• It looks like the self-checkout system is failing in Canada, leading to frustration and more theft
• Christmas Day is on Thursday, December 25!
• Before you go: 7 things you may have missed in the news
• Trivia: Did you know?
• Quotes of note
• Enjoy the outdoors with the Greater Moncton Walking Group
• Dream Like Taylor - A fabulous coloring book for Swifties by Rose Michaels
• Buy them now! Acadian Recipes and More - Volumes 1, 2 & 3, and Forgotten Recipes - Volume 1
• Monday, January 26: Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Trivia Night
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Campbell's fires company exec after he insults their customers and products
Boy oh boy... Campbell's had quite a public relations disaster on its hands recently when one of its vice-presidents was caught on a recording insulting the company's products and customers.
Article excerpt: "Campbell's has fired an executive who was allegedly caught on tape calling the soup company's products 'highly process[ed] food' for 'poor people,' and that the chicken in it is 'bioengineered meat.'
After a review of the recording, Campbell's confirmed in a statement Wednesday that the company believes the voice in question belongs to Martin Bally, a vice president, who as of Tuesday no longer works at the company.
A lawsuit filed Thursday in Wayne County, Michigan, against Campbell's, obtained by ABC News, highlights a conversation between Bally and former cyber security analyst Robert Garza who recorded the discussion.
'We have [expletive] for [expletive] poor people … who buys our [expletive]? ... I don't buy [expletive] Campbell's products, barely anymore. It's not healthy, now that I know what the [expletive] in it,' Bally allegedly stated in the recording. 'Even in a can of soup, I look at it and we can eat pot bioengineered meat. I don't want to eat a [expletive] piece of chicken that came from a 3D printer,' he allegedly said."
It took a few days of investigation, however Campbell's ended its relationship with the executive as fast as it could. (Investigating takes time. You don't want to fire someone and then find out it was all a hoax, only to have to shell out millions of dollars in compensation afterwards.)
I think you'll start seeing Campbell's commercials soon focusing on the quality of their products and how their customers are great people.
Read: Campbell's fires executive after recording of his disparaging remarks about ingredients. Related: I wouldn't want to be on the PR team at Campbell's Soup right now.
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Did your can of cranberry sauce have water in it instead of what you expected?
Well, the past few weeks haven't been great for famous canned goods brands, eh? First Campbell's (see above) and now Ocean Spray, whose cranberry sauce graces millions of dining room tables over the holiday season.
This particular controversy began when a TikTok video went viral of a consumer opening up a can that contained only water.
Article excerpt: "Ocean Spray is looking into claims that customers received cans of water instead of jellied cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving.
The company told People in a statement that it was 'aware of a few reports about cans containing water instead of cranberry sauce, and we’re looking into how this may have happened.'
'Millions of families enjoyed their cranberry sauce this holiday season, but even one can of sauce not meeting expectations matters to us,' the company continued. 'We’ve reached out to the folks who shared these videos to learn more and make it right.'
This comes after a video went viral on TikTok - amassing over 10 million views and over 500,000 likes in less than five days - allegedly show a woman who already opened two cans of Ocean Spray full of water unseal a third can, which, once again, had clear liquid in it."
The video has also been shared on YouTube.
To its credit, Ocean Spray had a great response and will rectify the situation. With that said, this sounds like a production glitch, but you'd think it would have been caught at the plant because the weights of those water-containing cans would have been off. I suspect that more stringent quality control measures are in place now.
Read: Ocean Spray is investigating viral Thanksgiving videos that show cans containing water instead of cranberry sauce.
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It looks like the self-checkout system is failing in Canada, leading to frustration and more theft
I'm not sure what the solution is here. Stores can't find employees but at the same time customers want fast service but don't want to wait in line. What's a store to do?
Article excerpt: "Self-checkouts were introduced as a multi-purpose solution to labour shortages, rising wage pressures, and consumers’ appetite for speed. In theory, they would modernize the grocery experience while reducing operating costs. In practice, they have become a source of irritation for many Canadians - and a growing liability for retailers.
Our recent survey shows that more than 60% of Canadians choose self-checkout when purchasing fewer than 20 items, especially Millennials and Gen X consumers. Boomers, however, remain resistant; many avoid self-checkout entirely. This behavioural split matters, because it illustrates a broader truth: technology adoption is not merely about efficiency, but about trust.
What was meant to streamline the transaction has, paradoxically, produced friction. The now-ubiquitous 'wait for assistance' message has become a symbol of failure in the grocery aisle. And beyond frustration, a more worrisome trend is emerging: self-checkouts appear to be driving up theft, both accidental and intentional."
I don't mind self-checkouts at all. Usually - at least in my experience - the attendants are right there and very responsive when I need help. Sobeys and Superstore have good systems, while Shoppers Drug Mart is so complicated (translation: not intuitive) that I avoid it at all costs. Shoppers drives me crazy because there's rarely someone at the cash register because they want you to use the self-checkout. I use the Costco checkout when I don't have much, but if you have a rebate cheque/coupon or need to renew your membership, save yourself the hassle because you'll need to go through the cashier for that. (Again, from experience.)
In the end, I think it comes down to how much unpaid merchandise is going out the door due to theft. It's pretty easy to just walk out with stuff when there's only one distracted attendant who's helping someone else.
Read: The self-checkout experiment is failing in Canada.
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Trivia: Did you know?
Not only is St. Nicholas the patron saint of children, he's also the very busy patron saint of a diverse group of others, including:
• sailors
• travellers
• merchants
• pawnbrokers
• the falsely accused
• brewers
• coopers
• brides and grooms
• pharmacists
• archers
• the sick
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Quotes of note
• 1. "Be careful to leave your sons well instructed rather than rich, for the hopes of the instructed are better than the wealth of the ignorant."
- Epictetus (50-135), Greek philosopher (see photo)
• 2. "Quality is not an act, it is a habit."
- Aristotle
• 3. "No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man."
- Heraclitus
• 4. "Justice... is a kind of compact not to harm or be harmed."
- Epicurus
• 5. "Painting is silent poetry, and poetry is painting that speaks."
- Plutarch
• 6. "People are like dirt. They can either nourish you and help you grow as a person or they can stunt your growth and make you wilt and die."
- Plato
• 7. "Beauty is a short-lived tyranny."
- Socrates
• 8. "What I like to drink most is wine that belongs to others."
- Diogenes
• 9. "People can't drive you crazy if you don't give them the keys."
- Mike Bechtle
• 10. "Old age is always 15 years older than I am."
- Oliver Wendell Holmes
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Enjoy the outdoors with the Greater Moncton Walking Group
In December, the group is walking on the Humphrey's Brook Trail in Moncton, beginning at Mill Road. Parking is available at the bottom of Martin Street.
In January, the group moves to Mapleton Park with meetup in the Rotary Lodge parking lot off of Mapleton Road. And yes, walking starts on Thursday, January 1! A great way to start 2026!
The group meets for walks every Tuesday and Thursday at 8:30 a.m. New participants are always welcome! For more information, please contact Wayne Harrigan at 506-386-2187 or via email.
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Dream Like Taylor - A fabulous colouring book for Swifties by Rose Michaels
Step into Taylor’s sparkly world with Dream Like Taylor! - a fabulous coloring book for Swifties - the ultimate coloring book for young fans who adore Taylor Swift and want to shine just like her! Filled with fun and fabulous illustrations, this book celebrates Taylor’s music, fashion, kindness and creativity. Color girls who sing on stage, play guitar, write songs, and dress in dazzling styles all inspired by Taylor’s amazing journey. Whether you’re a future superstar, a dreamer or just love to color, this book will make your imagination sparkle. Grab your crayons or markers and get ready to color your way to stardom... Swiftie-style! A total of 50 images are available in the book with a blank page on the other side of the image if you want to use markers.
• Amazon Canada: amzn.to/4hSY1dB
• Amazon USA: amzn.to/4p62coN
To view the entire list of Rose Michaels' colouring books, visit her website or follow her Facebook page.
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Buy them now! Acadian Recipes and More - Volumes 1, 2 & 3, and Forgotten Recipes - Volume 1
My three volumes of Acadian recipe books (English and French) and Forgotten Recipes - Volume 1 are out now and make a great addition to your recipe book library or a gift for someone else! They are available on Amazon Canada, Amazon USA and in some local retail outlets in Southeastern New Brunswick:
• Chapters, Dieppe NB: Volumes 1-3, Forgotten Recipes
• Le P'tit Coin Acadien Poutine Râpée, Bouctouche: Volumes 1-3, Forgotten Recipes
• Monument-Lefebvre, Memramcook NB: Volumes 1-3
• Centre culturel Kent-Sud, Bouctouche NB: Volumes 1-3 (French versions only)
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Monday, January 26: Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Trivia Night
The next Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Club Trivia Night will be held at St. Louis Bar & Grill, 1405 Mountain Road, Moncton, on Monday, January 26, beginning at 6:30 p.m. $10 per person (cash only).
Participants may play as teams or individuals. The winning team gets 50% of the door receipts as their prize.
It is strongly suggested that participants arrive by 5:15-5:30 p.m. for a seat. Trivia begins at 6:30 p.m. sharp and is usually over by 8-8:15 p.m. Everyone welcome!
Please note that restaurant reservations are NOT available for this event. First come, first served. Limited seating of approximately 50 guests.
Participants may bring an optional non-perishable food item (box of granola bars, Kraft Dinner, cereal, canned goods, etc.) for distribution at Krista Richard's Community Sports Program events, of which the Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Club is a sponsor. Any donations will be gratefully received and provided to Krista for distribution to her program participants (school-aged children from Moncton-area schools).
Since Rotary Trivia Nights began in 2016, the Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Club has donated more than $20,000 to Atlantic Wellness, Karing Kitchen, Ray of Hope Kitchen, Salvus Clinic, The Humanity Project, BGC Moncton (Moncton Boys & Girls Club), Junior Achievement New Brunswick, Project Linus - Moncton Chapter, Habitat for Humanity, Junior Achievement New Brunswick, Children's Wish Canada, Krista Richard's Community Sports Program and Bicycle Program, Diabetes Canada's D-Camps for kids, and Anglophone East School District's School Supplies Drive, among others.
The Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Club gratefully acknowledges the kind and generous sponsorship of our restaurant partner, St. Louis Bar & Grill.
PLEASE NOTE: There is a no telephone rule at these events. The answers cannot be researched except among discussion with your team members.
Facebook event listing: bit.ly/43QNMk5
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About this newsletter
Brian Cormier's Weekly Update is distributed weekly from September to June. If you're reading this newsletter online and want to subscribe, please email me, fill out the subscription form on my website, or subscribe via the "Join Our Email List" button at the top of the newsletter (if you're viewing this in a browser.) This newsletter is not published in July and August and on holidays.
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