Kraft Heinz, Nestle, others market unhealthy, addictive foods on kids, lawsuit claims

Addictive foods lawsuit overview: 

• Who: Plaintiff Bryce Martinez filed a lawsuit against Kraft Heinz Co. Inc, Mondelez International Inc., Post Holdings Inc., The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo Inc., General Mills Inc., Nestle USA Inc., Kellanova, WK Kellogg Co., Mars Incorporated Inc. and Conagra Brands Inc. 
• Why: Martinez claims the major food companies have for years marketed unhealthy and  addictive ultra-processed foods to kids, causing an “explosion” in chronic diseases since the 1980s. 
• Where: The lawsuit was filed in The Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. 

A new lawsuit alleges major food companies such as Kraft Heinz, General Mills and The Coca-Cola Company market unhealthy and addictive ultra-processed foods to kids. 

Plaintiff Bryce Martinez’s lawsuit claims there has been an “explosion” of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes and other “life-changing” chronic illnesses since the rise of ultra-processed foods in the 1980s. 

“Meanwhile, sales have surged. (ultra-processed foods) have displaced traditional foods and now constitute the vast majority of children’s diets,” the addictive foods lawsuit says. 

In addition to Kraft Heinz, General Mills and The Coca-Cola Company, major food companies Post Holdings, PepsiCo, Nestle USA, Kellanova, WK Kellogg, Mars Incorporated and Conagra Brands are named as defendants in the complaint. 

Americans living with ‘devastating’ consequences of ultra-processed foods, class action says

Martinez argues Americans are living with the “devastating” consequences of the companies’ decisions to market ultra-processed foods, including “concurrent epidemics” of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and other conditions. 

“UPF are dangerous not only because they are designed to hack our physiological nervous system and are aggressively marketed to children,” the lawsuit says. 

The lawsuit claims the food companies have been aware for decades about the alleged damage they are causing with ultra-processed foods, but continue to “inflict massive harm on society” in a “reckless pursuit of profits.” 

Martinez cites a secret meeting in April 1999 that he argues was attended by the largest food companies in the ultra-processed food industry and discussed the “devastating public health consequences of (ultra-processed foods) and their conduct.”

“But nothing changed as a result of that meeting, and the UPF industry has carried on inflicting massive social harm on our health and our children for the last 25 years,” the lawsuit says. 

The plaintiff demands a jury trial and requests an award of compensatory, economic, statutory and treble damages and punitive and/or exemplary damages. 

In similar news, a trio of recalls, a class action lawsuit and a court ruling involving children’s products recently made headlines. 

Do you believe you have you been injured as a result of consuming ultra-processed foods? Let us know in the comments.

The plaintiff is represented by K. Clancy Boylan, T. Michael Morgan, Rene F. Rocha and Frank Petosa of Morgan & Morgan PA and Christopher A. Seeger, Parvin K. Aminolroaya, Frazar Thomas and Dave Buchanan of Seeger Weiss LLP.

The addictive foods lawsuit is Martinez v. Kraft Heinz Co. Inc., et al., Case No. 241201154, in The Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. 

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