Legal action alleges prominent food corporations promote "habit-forming" dietary options towards children
A lawsuitallegation was made in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas by Bryce Martinez, a resident of Pennsylvania, who claims to have developed type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease at the age of 16, allegedly due to consuming the companies' products.
His legal team, Morgan & Morgan, a prominent US plaintiffs' firm, labeled this case as the first of its kind.
The other companies being targeted in this lawsuit are Post Holdings, PepsiCo, General Mills, Nestle's US division, Kellogg's, Mars, Kellanova, and Conagra.
As stated by Sarah Gallo, senior vice president of product policy for the Consumer Brands Association, an industry group representing food and beverage manufacturers, there isn't a universally accepted scientific definition for ultra-processed foods yet.
She further clarified that labelling foods as unhealthy simply because they are processed, or suggesting that certain foods are unhealthy by ignoring their nutrient content, misleads consumers and contributes to health disparities.
Research has indicated a correlation between highly processed foods and several chronic health issues. Foods categorized as "ultra-processed" by researchers encompass a wide range of packaged snack foods, sweets, and soft drinks that are either derived from whole foods or artificially synthesized.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Robert Califf has expressed concern that ultra-processed foods might be addictive. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Donald Trump's chosen appointee for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has also criticized the food industry and the FDA for their lax regulation.
Martinez's lawsuit asserts that the food companies have been aware for a long time that their products are detrimental to health and have intentionally designed them for maximum addictiveness. It accuses them of employing the same "cigarette playbook" as tobacco companies like Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds, who once controlled Kraft Heinz and Mondelez.
The lawsuit includes allegations of conspiracy, negligence, fraudulent misrepresentation, and unfair business practices. It seeks both compensatory and punitive damages, without specifying an exact amount.
This lawsuit against the food companies by Martinez's legal team could potentially lead to significant changes in the food business, as they argue that the companies have intentionally designed their products to be addictive. The food industry's use of ultra-processed foods, which have been linked to several chronic health issues, is a major point of contention in this business-related dispute.
