The city of San Francisco is suing 10 major food manufacturers — including Kraft Heinz and Coca-Cola — accusing them of knowingly fueling a public health crisis with ultra-processed foods.
City Attorney David Chiu filed the lawsuit in San Francisco Superior Court on Tuesday, arguing that ultra-processed foods are linked to diseases such as Type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease and cancer.
“They took food and made it unrecognizable and harmful to the human body,” Chiu said in a news release. “These companies engineered a public health crisis, they profited handsomely, and now they need to take responsibility for the harm they have caused.”
The other companies named in the lawsuit are PepsiCo, Post Holdings, Mondelez International, General Mills, Nestle USA, Kellogg, Mars Incorporated and ConAgra Brands.
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The lawsuit alleges the companies used tactics similar to the tobacco industry, designing and marketing products to addict consumers. It accuses the manufacturers of violating California laws on public nuisance and deceptive marketing.
As ultra-processed foods have spread, rates of obesity, cancer and diabetes have climbed, the suit claims. Chiu’s office notes that heart disease and diabetes — both linked to ultra-processed foods — are among San Francisco’s leading causes of death, with higher rates in minority and low-income communities.
FOX Business reached out to all 10 companies named in the lawsuit but did not immediately hear back.
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Sarah Gallo, senior vice president of product policy for the Consumer Brands Association, which represents many of the companies, said in a statement obtained by Fox Business that there “is currently no agreed upon scientific definition of ultraprocessed foods and attempting to classify foods as unhealthy simply because they are processed, or demonizing food by ignoring its full nutrient content, misleads consumers and exacerbates health disparities.”
Linda Kelly, chief legal officer at the National Association of Manufacturers, told Fox Business in an emailed statement that lawsuits such as this are abusing the legal system and won’t help improve public safety.
“Allegations of public nuisance against food and beverage manufacturers that fully comply with FDA safety and nutrition standards are an abuse of the legal system,” Kelly said. “Frivolous and agenda-driven lawsuits do not improve public health or safety. Instead, they create confusion for consumers and undermine the regulatory certainty manufacturers need to provide safe and nutritious foods that are affordable and accessible for American families.”
San Francisco’s lawsuit cites multiple scientific studies linking ultra-processed foods to harmful health effects.
“Mounting research now links these products to serious diseases — including Type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, heart disease, colorectal cancer, and even depression at younger ages,” University of California, San Francisco, professor Kim Newell-Green said in the news release.
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A May report from U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the Trump administration had identified ultra-processed foods as a driver of chronic illness in American children.
In August, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found the majority of Americans get more than half of their daily calories from ultra-processed foods, with hamburgers and sandwiches, sweet bakery products, savory snacks, pizza and sweetened beverages being among the top sources.
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San Francisco’s case is the first municipal lawsuit claiming food companies knowingly marketed addictive and harmful ultra-processed foods.
The city seeks restitution and civil penalties to offset healthcare costs, along with a court order barring deceptive marketing and forcing the companies to change their practices.
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