San Francisco Sues Major Food Giants Over Ultraprocessed Foods in Landmark Public Health Case

San Francisco has launched a landmark lawsuit against some of the world’s biggest food manufacturers, accusing them of fueling a public health crisis through the widespread production and marketing of ultraprocessed foods. The case targets major corporations including Nestlé, Kellogg, Kraft Heinz, Coca-Cola, and Mondelez, marking the first time a US city has taken such action.

San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu announced the lawsuit, claiming these companies “engineered a public health disaster” by creating addictive products and aggressively advertising them, particularly to children. He argued that the food industry has taken everyday ingredients, transformed them through industrial processes, and produced items that are “harmful to the human body.”

A Public Health Wake-Up Call

Filed in San Francisco Superior Court, the lawsuit accuses 10 corporations of deceptive marketing and creating a public nuisance. The city alleges these companies pushed products they knew to be harmful while understating or hiding the health risks—an approach Chiu compared directly to the tactics once used by tobacco companies.

According to the complaint, the rapid rise of ultraprocessed foods has been accompanied by growing rates of obesity, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. The city argues that the aggressive marketing of these foods has led to massive public health consequences, forcing taxpayers to bear increased healthcare costs.

San Francisco is seeking restitution, civil penalties, and a court order requiring manufacturers to stop deceptive marketing and adopt more transparent practices.

What Counts as Ultraprocessed Food?

While there is no universal definition, ultraprocessed foods are generally identified as products made using advanced industrial techniques and ingredients not typically found in home kitchens. These include chemically modified substances, artificial colors, thickeners, emulsifiers, and high levels of sugars, fats, and preservatives.

Examples include chips, soft drinks, frozen pizzas, hot dogs, sweetened cereals, candy, instant soups, and mass-produced breads. Today, nearly 70% of packaged items in US supermarkets fall into the ultraprocessed category. For American children, about 60% of daily calories come from these foods.

Health researchers warn that such items are linked to numerous diseases. A major series published in The Lancet recently connected ultraprocessed food consumption to obesity, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and higher mortality rates. The CDC reports that 40% of Americans are obese and nearly 16% have diabetes—conditions strongly associated with diet patterns high in ultraprocessed items.

Food Industry Pushes Back

The Consumer Brands Association, representing many of the corporations named in the lawsuit, rejected the claims. Sarah Gallo, speaking for the group, argued that there is “no agreed-upon scientific definition” of ultraprocessed food. She said labeling foods as harmful simply because they are processed “misleads consumers and worsens health disparities,” noting that many processed foods provide nutritional value and convenience.

A Watershed Moment for the Food Industry

San Francisco’s lawsuit could become a turning point in how US cities and states address the role of ultraprocessed foods in chronic disease. If successful, the case may pave the way for stricter regulations, marketing limits, and transparency requirements across the country.

For now, the city is positioning the legal battle as a step toward holding major corporations accountable for products that dominate supermarket shelves and shape the eating habits of millions.