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Diving overview:
- in san francisco City Attorney Submits It’s the first government lawsuit against manufacturers of ultra-processed foods, alleging that giants including Kraft Heinz and Coca-Cola knowingly sold products that put consumers’ health at risk.
- full dress, Filed Tuesday in San Francisco Superior CourtIt claims 10 of the largest packaged food manufacturers have engineered a “public health crisis” that is burdening cities with the costs of treating diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.
- The lawsuit aims to end or reduce the company’s “deceptive marketing” and seek damages to offset government health care costs. The companies named in the complaint include Kraft Heinz, Mondelēz International, Post Holdings, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and General Mills; nestle USA, Kellogg, Mars Incorporated and Conagra Brands.
Dive Insights:
The first-of-its-kind lawsuit makes similar claims to lawsuits against tobacco and opioid manufacturers that have resulted in hundreds of billions of dollars in settlements over the past three decades.
But the case for ultra-processed foods is likely to be more complicated. There is no universally accepted definition of the term, which can encompass a wide range of products, from potato chips and soda to items perceived as healthy, such as granola bars and yogurt.
Ultra-processed foods are products that typically undergo industrial manufacturing processes and are made using ingredients not typically found in home kitchens. When California became the first state to define terms As part of the ban on ultra-processed foods in schools, key details are unclear, including what types of products will be subject to the restrictions.
The FDA is also investigating How to define ultra-processed foodsIt’s still early days. But as consumer momentum builds, putting pressure on companies to eliminate artificial dyes, efforts may accelerate.
Last August, a judge dismissed a lawsuit from a 19-year-old consumer who claimed ultra-processed foods caused her type 2 diabetes. courthouse He ruled that he had failed. Lists the specific products that caused his illness.
More broadly, the San Francisco lawsuit also highlights that the Make America Healthy Again movement is becoming increasingly bipartisan, and that consumer concerns about processed ingredients extend across political parties.
“Recent surveys show that Americans want to avoid ultra-processed foods, but we are inundated with them,” San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu said in a statement. “These companies created a public health crisis, made enormous profits, and now must be held accountable for the harm they caused.”
In addition to monetary damages, the lawsuit asks a judge to require the food company to “improve the effectiveness of its previous false marketing.” This could include consumer education about the dangers of ultra-processed foods or subsidies for “real food” in low-income and other communities that have been disproportionately harmed by the proliferation of ultra-processed foods.
Several states have moved to one of the following: Prohibition of certain ingredients Or require warning labels, forcing companies to make complex and costly packaging or reformulation changes. Food companies have also grown more pushback against the patchwork of state regulations, forming a new lobbying plan to advocate for a single national standard.
