Trump Administration
* Updates
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.
The San Francisco city attorney filed on Tuesday the nation’s first government lawsuit against food manufacturers over ultraprocessed fare, arguing that cities and counties have been burdened with the costs of treating diseases that stem from the companies’ products.
David Chiu, the city attorney, sued 10 corporations that make some of the country’s most popular food and drinks. Ultraprocessed products now comprise 70 percent of the American food supply and fill grocery store shelves with a kaleidoscope of colorful packages.
Think Slim Jim meat sticks and Cool Ranch Doritos. But also aisles of breads, sauces and granola bars marketed as natural or healthy.
It is a rare issue on which the liberal leaders in San Francisco City Hall are fully aligned with the Trump administration, which has targeted ultraprocessed foods as part of its Make America Healthy Again mantra.
Mr. Chiu’s lawsuit, which was filed in San Francisco Superior Court on behalf of the State of California, seeks unspecified damages for the costs that local governments bear for treating residents whose health has been harmed by ultraprocessed food.
The city accuses the companies of “unfair and deceptive acts” in how they market and sell their foods, arguing that such practices violate the state’s Unfair Competition Law and public nuisance statute. The city also argues the companies knew that their food made people sick but sold it anyway.
We are having trouble retrieving the article content.
Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.
---
Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.
---
Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
Already a subscriber? .
Want all of The Times? .
Related Content
---------------