It May Taste Good, But “It’s Killing Us”

The foods currently in the middle of a major lawsuit in San Francisco City, USA, are the same ultraprocessed products making their way into Belizean households. The city has sued 10 global food companies, accusing them of knowingly marketing products that harm human health and contribute to rising chronic diseases.

The case argues that these products were designed to be addictive and have contributed to rising rates of obesity, diabetes and other chronic diseases.

San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu said research has reached “a tipping point”. He stated that these ultraprocessed foods are “deeply linked to serious health conditions” and impose “enormous costs” on those who consume them.

The lawsuit targets major brands such as Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestlé, Kellogg and Kraft Heinz, all of which can easily be found in Belize. The other five companies include Mondelez International, Post Holdings, General Mills, Mars Incorporated and ConAgra Brands.

Ultraprocessed foods include sweetened drinks, flavoured chips and packaged snacks that contain additives and high levels of sugar, salt or fat. Professor Laura Schmidt of the University of California San Francisco said the trend has been clear for decades.

“Up until now, it has felt like watching a train wreck in slow motion,” Schmidt said. “ I’ve been talking about childhood diabetes for a couple decades now. The rates have continued to go up. Childhood fatty liver disease, childhood obesity, we’ve known for a long time there was something very wrong with this part of the food supply.”

Meanwhile, the Consumer Brands Association rejected the accusations, stating that companies “adhere to the rigorous evidence-based safety standards established by the FDA.”

However, nutrition researcher Barry Popkin argues even with declines in smoking, chronic disease continues to rise because of modern diets.

“About 75% to 80% of what children eat comes from these ultraprocessed foods, and 55% to 60% of what adults consume comes from them,” Popkin said. “The food is killing us,” he said.