- On December 2, 2025, the city of San Francisco announced that it is suing ten leading food manufacturers of “ultra-processed foods,” alleging that the companies knowingly sold food products that have been linked to serious health conditions. The city claims that the “unfair and deceptive” marketing of ultra-processed foods violates California’s Unfair Competition Law and public nuisance statute.
- City Attorney David Chiu stated that the lawsuit is the first of its kind. According to Chiu, “[the defendants] took food and made it unrecognizable and harmful to the human body… These companies engineered a public health crisis, they profited handsomely, and now they need to take responsibility for the harm they have caused.” As we previously reported, California is also the first state to develop a clear definition of “ultra-processed foods” under AB 1264.
- The lawsuit claims that the defendant companies knowingly created a public health crisis and designed the foods to be addictive to drive sales. It also alleges that they marketed the foods to deliberately target children, similar to the techniques utilized by “Big Tobacco.”
- The city is seeking an order for the companies to refrain from deceptive marketing and to take corrective action, along with restitution and civil penalties.
