San Francisco Sues Coca-Cola, Pepsi Over Health Care Costs

San Francisco filed a first-of-its-kind lawsuit accusing ultra-processed food manufacturers of selling products that are addictive and harmful to the American public.

The complaint, filed Tuesday morning in San Francisco Superior Court, accuses eleven of the country’s largest food manufacturers—including Kraft Heinz Co., The Coca-Cola Co., Conagra, PepsiCo, and Nestle USA—of violating California’s unfair competition law and public nuisance statute through deceptive marketing. The city seeks a civil penalty to help offset health care costs.

“Our case is about companies that design food to be harmful and addictive, and marketed their products to maximize profits,” San Francisco City Attorney David ...