key takeaways
- The city of San Francisco sued 10 major food and beverage companies on Tuesday, accusing the companies of selling ultra-processed products.
- The lawsuit alleges that these products have created a public health crisis and burdened governments with health care costs.
- Examples of ultra-processed foods include breakfast cereals, candy, and chips.
is san francisco filed the first government lawsuit In the US, ultra-processed foods like Pringles, Hot Pockets and Cheetos and the major companies that make them are being specifically targeted.
The city attorney, David Chiu, filed a lawsuit against 10 food and beverage giants including Coca-Cola, Nestle and Kraft on Tuesday in San Francisco Superior Court. The lawsuit alleges that these companies marketed and sold ultra-processed foods that they knew were harmful to human health.
city defined ultra-processed foods Formerly whole foods that have been broken down and then reassembled with additives such as colors, flavor enhancers, emulsifiers, and artificial sweeteners. Examples include candy, chips, processed meats and breakfast cereals.
The lawsuit accused these food groups of contributing to the public health crisis and burdening governments with health care costs. The city wants financial penalties and restitution to help offset health care costs associated with ultra-processed foods. It also calls for changes in the way these foods are promoted.
Connected: Kraft Heinz removing artificial colors from Kool-Aid, Jell-O, Crystal Light by 2027
Additional defendants include Kraft Heinz, Mondelez International, PepsiCo, General Mills, Kellogg and Mars Incorporated – all large food and beverage companies whose brands dominate American grocery shelves. Brands associated with General Mills alone include Cheerios, Pillsbury and Progresso.
“These companies created a public health crisis with their engineering and marketing of ultra-processed foods,” Chiu said in a statement. “They took food and made it unfamiliar and harmful to the human body… These companies created a public health crisis, they made handsome profits, and now they need to take responsibility for the harm they caused.”
the new York Times It is estimated that 70% of the US food supply is ultra-processed. Recent scientific studies have shown that excessive consumption of ultra-processed food can have negative health consequences. type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease And colorectal cancerChiu claims that companies used inappropriate and misleading marketing, including health-oriented messaging and child-friendly branding, to increase consumption despite growing scientific evidence of harm,
Connected: The world’s largest consumer goods company is laying off thousands of employees
The defendants responded to the claims in an emailed statement from their trade group, the Consumer Brands Association.
Sarah Gallo, senior vice president of product policy for the group, said in a statement, “There is currently no consensus on the scientific definition of ultra-processed foods and attempts to classify foods as unhealthy simply because they are processed, or by ignoring its full nutrient content, stigmatize the food, mislead consumers and increase health disparities.” ABC News,
The San Francisco city attorney’s office has had success in public health cases before, such as in 1998, when it received an award. $539 million settlement From tobacco companies. More recently, in 2019, the city reached a $21 million settlement With former major paint manufacturers.
key takeaways
- The city of San Francisco sued 10 major food and beverage companies on Tuesday, accusing the companies of selling ultra-processed products.
- The lawsuit alleges that these products have created a public health crisis and burdened governments with health care costs.
- Examples of ultra-processed foods include breakfast cereals, candy, and chips.
is san francisco filed the first government lawsuit In the US, ultra-processed foods like Pringles, Hot Pockets and Cheetos and the major companies that make them are being specifically targeted.
The city attorney, David Chiu, filed a lawsuit against 10 food and beverage giants including Coca-Cola, Nestle and Kraft on Tuesday in San Francisco Superior Court. The lawsuit alleges that these companies marketed and sold ultra-processed foods that they knew were harmful to human health.
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