Ultra-processed food companies hindering health drives by suing countries, says WHO
π° source: theguardian_business Β· π research
the head of the world health organization, tedros adhanom ghebreyesus, accused the biggest ultra-processed food companies of suing governments to block health policies. a guardian-led investigation across four continents found 235 lawsuits filed between 2010 and 2025 in mexico, colombia, brazil, the us and the uk. three-quarters of resolved cases were lost by the companies, but even failed suits delayed measures for years.
labeling rules were the most contested policy, followed by junk-food taxes and marketing restrictions. among plaintiffs that could be identified, 38% were from eight firms including coca-cola, pepsico, mondelΔz, kellogg's and danone. the who says almost 1 billion people are obese, and litigation has cost countries billions in legal and healthcare expenses. tedros urged governments to keep adopting the policies, and called on companies to drop the lawsuits.
why it matters: lawsuits by food giants are delaying proven health policies on obesity, costing billions and deterring other countries from acting.
source: theguardian_business
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