Children's Health Defense
A teenager from Warrington, Pennsylvania, sued 11 Big Food manufacturers, alleging ultraprocessed foods (UPFs), engineered to be as addictive as cigarettes, caused him to develop fatty liver disease, Type 2 diabetes and other health problems.
In a 148-page lawsuit, filed Tuesday in the Court of Common Pleas in Philadelphia County, Bryce Martinez, 18, alleges he’s the victim of a “predatory profiteering” scheme by Big Food that seeks to develop and market food to children that is harmful to health, without warning the public of the foods’ dangers.
The lawsuit states that the diseases Martinez was diagnosed with “did not exist in children” before the development of ultraprocessed foods. The lawsuit presents evidence from scientific studies finding that childhood diseases such as obesity skyrocketed with the advent and wide availability of such foods.
According to Reuters, Martinez’s lawyers from Morgan & Morgan, a prominent personal injury firm, described the lawsuit as the “first of its kind.” The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the lawsuit was “two years in the making.”
“We believe this is a very important cause,” Rene F. Rocha, an attorney for Martinez, told The Defender. “This has made a life-altering impact on Bryce Martinez’s life and so many other children like him. We think it’s the first step of getting answers and justice for a lot of bad conduct that has really contaminated our food environment.”
Defendants in the lawsuit include Coca-Cola, Nestlé USA, PepsiCo, Conagra, General Mills, Kellanova, Kraft Heinz, Mars, Mondelez International, Post Holdings and WK Kellogg Co.
The complaint alleges negligence, fraudulent misrepresentation, failure to warn, and violation of unfair trade practices and consumer protection law.
According to the lawsuit, Martinez was diagnosed with fatty liver disease and Type 2 diabetes when he was 16, after regularly consuming UPF products including Bagel Bites, CheezIt, Hot Pockets, Pepsi, Slim Jims, Sour Patch Kids and Starburst.
“Plaintiff’s exposure to Defendants’ UPF has resulted in severe life-changing physical infirmities,” the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit claims the defendants did not warn the public, including children, that their UPF products were harmful, and did not test the products for safety. Instead, “Defendants marketing targeted children, including Plaintiff, with unfair and deceptive messages regarding their UPF.”
“The scientific consensus that’s emerging is saying there’s something uniquely harmful about these products and the way that they’re marketed to children that needs to stop. Because the science is clear, it’s a time for taking action,” Rocha said.
According to Rocha, a hearing has not yet been scheduled. He said:
“We’re very much looking forward to discovery, because we found a lot of very damning pieces of evidence that we were able to access through our investigation before filing.
“We feel pretty confident that there’s a whole lot more in these company’s vaults that will be potentially shocking once they come to life…
READ FULL ARTICLE HERE… (childrenshealthdefense.org)
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