Ultra-Processed Foods (UPFs) Lawsuit: Justice for Our Children
In the 1980s, tobacco companies began acquiring major food conglomerates, and immediately began applying the science and tactics of addiction they used to sell their tobacco products. They succeeded in developing artificially irresistible, ultra-processed food (UPF) products whose effects can be seen in the current childhood obesity epidemic.
DiCello Levitt is fighting on behalf of those most vulnerable to these addictive foods—our children.
If your child or children have suffered from the negative health effects of consuming UPFs, including Type 2 diabetes, please contact us today for a free consultation. We are taking on the titans of the food industry to make things right.
What Are Ultra-Processed Foods (UPFs)?
Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are engineered to be “hyper-palatable,” through combinations of fat, salt, sugar, and other chemical additives and artificial flavors that can drive people to crave and overeat them, according to research published in a 2023 Addiction journal article. They have been marketed aggressively to children and vulnerable populations.
The Health Risks of UPFs
Prior to tobacco companies’ engineering of UPFs in the 1980s, the CDC estimated that 15% of U.S. adults were obese, according to survey data from 1976 through 1980. Today, the CDC estimates that more than 40% of adults in the U.S. are obese, according to survey data from 2021 through 2023.
Researchers and medical professionals have long noted the connection between diet and serious health conditions like obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. Recent research has begun to further illuminate the specific connection between UPFs and these diseases.
A 2024 review published in the British Medical Journal examined 45 studies with nearly 10 million participants. Authors noted that eating more ultra-processed foods was linked to a higher risk of death and connected to more than 32 health conditions, including Type 2 diabetes.
Protecting Our Children
DiCello Levitt is dedicated to holding accountable corporations that exploit and harm customers. We are not afraid to take on the titans of the food industry to protect our children and vulnerable populations. If your child or children have been harmed by consuming UPFs, please contact us.
DiCello Levitt’s Exceptional Leadership and Extraordinary Results
- Co-lead counsel in In re Hair Relaxer Marketing Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation. Filed the first case against L’Oreal and other manufacturers of hair relaxer, alleging that hair relaxer increases risk of uterine cancer and other significant conditions in women of African descent.
- Co-lead counsel representing families of victims in the Buffalo, New York, mass shooting in Salter, et al. v. Meta Platforms, et al. Achieved a court ruling that created new law recognizing that social media applications are indeed products under New York’s product liability framework.
- Representing more than 75 cities and counties in multiple states in In re National Prescription Opiate Litigation and In re McKinsey & Company Inc. National Prescription Opiate Consultant Litigation.
- Litigating two of the largest environmental litigations in U.S. history, to address PFAS contamination on behalf of the states of Michigan and Illinois.
- In 2024 alone, recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for victims of medical malpractice, defective devices and drugs, car and truck accidents, workplace accidents, and other personal injuries.
- Achieved hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements against Fortune 500 companies on behalf of victims of workplace discrimination.
- Named 2023 Trial Strategy Innovation Firm of the Year by The National Law Journal.
- Ranked Band 1 by Chambers USA in Litigation: Mainly Plaintiffs.
