A major legal battle is erupting across the United States as 11 of the nation’s largest food corporations face a series of lawsuits alleging they knowingly sell ultra-processed foods (UPF) linked to serious health problems. The coordinated legal actions, filed this week by a coalition of public health advocates and state attorneys general, accuse companies Kraft Heinz, Coca-Cola, Mars, Post, PepsiCo, General Mills, Mondelez International, Kellanova (formerly part of Kellogg’s) and Nestlé of misleading consumers about the health impacts of their products.
San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu filed the lawsuit Tuesday in Superior Court, asserting that ultra-processed foods are connected to serious illnesses, including Type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, and certain cancers.
“These companies created a public health crisis with the engineering and marketing of ultra-processed foods,” said Chiu. “They took food and made it unrecognizable and harmful to the human body. We must be clear that this is not about consumers making better choices. Recent surveys show Americans want to avoid ultra-processed foods, but we are inundated by them. These companies engineered a public health crisis, they profited handsomely, and now they need to take responsibility for the harm they have caused.”
The lawsuits claim that despite decades of mounting scientific evidence connecting ultra-processed foods to conditions like obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, these corporations continued aggressively marketing snacks, cereals, and ready-made meals as “wholesome,” “natural,” or “balanced.” Plaintiffs argue the companies prioritized profits while concealing or ignoring the long-term risks tied to their ingredients and manufacturing processes.
By some estimates, over 60 percent of the food consumed in the United States is ultra-processed. Higher intake of UPFs has been associated with increased risk of multiple cancers, including:
Colorectal
Breast
Ovarian
Pancreatic
Prostate
Brain
Liver
Esophageal
Head & neck cancers
“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.
Industry representatives have pushed back, labeling the lawsuits as overreaching and unscientific. A spokesperson for one major manufacturer said the company “stands by the safety and transparency of all our products” and plans to “vigorously contest these unfounded claims.”
In August, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that most Americans consume over half of their daily calories from ultra-processed foods, with items like hamburgers, sandwiches, sweet baked goods, savory snacks, pizza, and sugary drinks among the leading contributors.
The cases could mark a turning point for U.S. food regulation, echoing past legal fights against tobacco and opioid manufacturers. Public health experts say the outcome may determine how far corporations can go in marketing products with known health risks—and whether ultra-processed food could become the next frontier in consumer protection law.
