In one of the most aggressive legal moves ever taken by a U.S. city against the food industry, San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu filed a landmark lawsuit in San Francisco Superior Court, accusing ten of America's most powerful food and beverage manufacturers of knowingly engineering a public health crisis. The defendants — Kraft Heinz, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Mondelez International, Post Holdings, General Mills, Nestlé USA, Kellogg, Mars Incorporated, and ConAgra Brands — collectively produce the bulk of what scientists classify as "ultra-processed foods" (UPFs) consumed in the United States.
"They took food and made it unrecognizable and harmful to the human body," Chiu declared at a press conference. "These companies engineered a public health crisis, they profited handsomely, and now they need to take responsibility for the harm they have caused." The suit was filed on behalf of the people of the State of California and alleges violations of California's Unfair Competition Law and public nuisance statute.
