Budget-conscious shoppers have long complained that there never seem to be coupons for healthy foods. In fact, at the typical grocery store, it can seem like there are few truly healthy food choices at all.
So one city is suing ten companies that make most of the ultra-processed foods that Americans eat, seeking to hold the companies responsible for getting us hooked on products it says are as addictive, and as harmful, as tobacco.
San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu has filed a first-of-its-kind lawsuit against what he calls “the nation’s leading ultra-processed food manufacturers” – Kraft Heinz, Mondelēz, Post Holdings, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, General Mills, Nestlé, Kellogg, Mars and ConAgra. The companies “designed food to be addictive, they knew the addictive food they were engineering was making their customers sick, and they hid the truth from the public,” the lawsuit alleges.
“We’re talking about food that is not food, that is not found in nature, created by combining artificial chemicals with industrialized processes,” Chiu said in announcing the lawsuit.
Candies, chips, processed meats, sodas, energy drinks, boxed macaroni and cheese, breakfast cereals and other products are among those produced by combining cheap ingredients with “enhancers,” the lawsuit explains. The results are food products that are actually “a combination of chemicals designed to stimulate cravings and encourage overconsumption.”
The lawsuit states that approximately 70% of the U.S. food supply is ultra-processed, which is contributing to serious health conditions among consumers. That, in turn, imposes hefty health care costs on individuals, communities and cities like San Francisco, which is seeking to recoup some of those costs by holding the food manufacturers responsible.
“This case is not about food that is merely ‘unhealthy,'” the lawsuit argues. “This case is about food products with hidden health harms, that defendants designed to be cheap, colorful, flavorful, and addictive.”
By “using Big Tobacco’s playbook,” the complaint continues, “manufacturers are tricking us into eating ourselves to death,” by producing and marketing products they purposely designed to be addictive in order to sell more, despite the health consequences.
“These companies engineered a public health crisis, they profited handsomely, and now they need to take responsibility for the harm they have caused,” Chiu said.
The lawsuit seeks restitution and civil penalties to help the city offset soaring health care costs that it blames on ultra-processed food consumption. And it’s seeking an order that would prevent the manufacturers from any further deceptive marketing of their products.
“This lawsuit should be the beginning of how we ensure accountability,” Chiu said. And it’s very likely to be just the beginning of a long fight, that other cities and food manufacturers will be watching very closely.
Image source: San Francisco City Attorney’s Office
