San Francisco has filed a lawsuit against several food and beverage giants for pushing unhealthy ultra-processed foods onto the market. 

What's happening?

On December 2, the city of San Francisco filed a wide-ranging lawsuit against not one or two, but 10 big-name food conglomerates, including Coca-Cola and Nestlé. 

In a press release issued by the Office of the City Attorney, David Chiu, San Francisco announced a "first-of-its-kind lawsuit" against many of the "largest manufacturers of ultra-processed foods" in the United States.

Why is San Francisco's lawsuit so important?

In the suit, San Francisco framed the issue as a public health crisis driven by the pursuit of profits, with "increasingly addictive and harmful products" sickening consumers.

"They took food and made it unrecognizable and harmful to the human body," Chiu said of the 10 companies named as defendants. "These companies engineered a public health crisis, they profited handsomely, and now they need to take responsibility for the harm they have caused." 

The city accused the companies of engaging in a Big Tobacco-style cover-up, citing research linking highly processed foods with severe health impacts like diabetes and cancer.

Notably, Chiu challenged the notion that consumers ought to make "better choices," citing data on consumer preferences and adding that Americans remain "inundated by" processed foods.

In January, researchers at Northwestern University determined that 70% of the American food supply was ultra-processed.

In August, the Centers for Disease Control found that 55% of the calories Americans consume come from ultra-processed foods. Chiu described these as highly industrialized foods that "cannot typically be replicated in a home kitchen." 

The Coca-Cola Company has been criticized and sued for failing to act in the public's best interests in the past for other reasons. It has been named the world's worst plastic polluter for several years running, though it has since taken steps to eliminate some plastic from its supply chain.

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What's being done about it?

San Francisco's unprecedented, groundbreaking lawsuit could serve as a model for other jurisdictions to hold powerful corporations to account.

Although the city's lawsuit is unlikely to result in immediate change, Americans can reduce their intake of ultra-processed foods by shopping strategically and growing healthier food at home.

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