San Francisco Will Sue Ultraprocessed Food Companies
- Reference: 0180269487
- News link: https://science.slashdot.org/story/25/12/02/2229255/san-francisco-will-sue-ultraprocessed-food-companies
- Source link:
> The San Francisco city attorney filed on Tuesday the nation's [1]first government lawsuit against food manufacturers over ultraprocessed fare (source may be paywalled; [2]alternative source ), 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.
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> 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.
[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/us/san-francisco-ultraprocessed-food-lawsuit.html
[2] https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/san-francisco-sues-ultra-processed-food-makers-rcna247027
No, I don't think so (Score:3, Insightful)
> cities and counties have been burdened with the costs of treating diseases that stem from the companies' products
Coca cola, Frito-Lay, and the Monsanto Corporation did not force San Francisco to give out free stuff to homeless people. San Francisco voters did that.
Perhaps blue cities can get out from under the weight of their bullshit policies by suing their own voters?
Re: No, I don't think so (Score:2)
Oops, they're just following T-Dawg's policies on this one. Hopefully Russia is next on the bipartisan chopping block to give you Russian troll farms something to worry about. Lol
Re: No, I don't think so (Score:2)
You libs crack me up. Hillary Clinton and John Kerry each spent four years pretending like showy diplomacy with Putin was an adequate substitute for demonstrating military strength and the will to employ it. Now that he's Trump's problem, y'all pretend like you've always seen him for unadulterated pure evil...the solution to which isn't deterrence by military strength but more performance theatre.
And this helps how? (Score:3)
Will it cause healthy food to become cheaper than the junk?
Or will they give people who can't afford healthy food money to buy it?
Although I don't buy the worst food because we have health standards here, if I would switch over to completely healthy my grocery bill would become two to three times more expensive.
Excellent! Can we do this here in the uk? (Score:1)
Our hospitals are full of younger than how it used to be people with UPF caused diseases, diabetes being top. Hospitals are for accident victims and having babies, not self or industry induced behaviour.
Re: (Score:2)
So, your citizens for eating them. No one forced anyone to eat those ultraprocessed foods. Now if they made claims that they were healthy, you might have a case for misrepresentation, but otherwise I cannot see it.
Save the courts some time (Score:3)
Hey, howbout let's reclassify [1]that Waymo robot [slashdot.org] as a food processor and handle two stupid things at the same time.
[1] https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/12/02/2322203/waymo-hits-a-dog-in-san-francisco-reigniting-safety-debate
Rice A Roni changing motto immiediately (Score:2)
"The Denver Treat" just doesn't have the same ring to it
Grocery chains ... (Score:1)
... can just pull out of San Francisco.