Food giants sued governments 239 times to block warning labels, with most cases in Mexico

Public health rules to regulate packaged foods and sugary drinks often draw more than complaints from major manufacturers.

In many cases, the response is a lawsuit.

Here's what to know

Lighthouse Reports uncovered a pattern by food giants wherein the companies consistently blocked or delayed health policies meant to give people more information about the products they consume.

In its investigation, Lighthouse Reports found that a whopping 239 legal challenges from 2010 through 2025 by companies — including Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Mars — were filed to defeat policies meant to help people make more informed choices. A third of the lawsuits came from just nine parent companies.

The analysis cataloged cases in the United States, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Britain, and India.

"In public, the world's biggest and richest food companies … say they want to be part of the solution," Lighthouse Reports explained. "But behind closed doors, they have taken governments to court to delay, dilute, and derail public health laws, which the companies say violate their rights."

A large share of the litigation targeted labeling requirements for food products, especially rules requiring ingredients and nutrition information on packaging. Those policies focus on products such as fast food, cereals, soft drinks, and protein bars, all ultraprocessed foods that have been linked to countless poor health outcomes.

Mexico accounted for a huge fraction of the lawsuits despite the fact that 41% of children and adolescents there are considered overweight, per Lighthouse Reports. In one case, after the country adopted soft-drink labeling requirements, a local Pepsi bottler argued the labels "demonized" the product. Judges rejected that claim.

In the U.S., after Santa Cruz, California, voters approved a tax on soft drinks, a group supported by Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and the maker of Dr. Pepper recruited Black and Latino leaders to fight the measure, saying it "discriminated against poor people," per Investigate Midwest.

What's being done?

New York University professor of nutrition, food studies, and public health Marion Nestle expert told The Guardian there wouldn't be so many lawsuits if labeling weren't effective, saying, "The lawsuits tell us that public health measures reduce sales of unhealthful products."

So, despite the legal pushback, governments around the world are still advancing warning labels and marketing restrictions. Mexico's experience shows those policies can survive court challenges, at least in some instances.

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