Arabic version: منظمة الصحة العالمية: دعاوى شركات الأغذية تؤخر التدابير الصحية

According to The Guardian, the World Health Organization’s director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said major ultra-processed food companies are hindering efforts to tackle obesity by suing governments over policies intended to support healthier diets.

An investigation involving the Guardian, academics, Lighthouse Reports and media partners found 235 lawsuits relating to health policies targeting ultra-processed foods were filed in Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, the US and the UK between 2010 and 2025. The cases concerned measures including front-of-pack warning labels, taxes on junk food, and marketing and advertising restrictions.

Tedros said the litigation amounted to nearly 600 cumulative years of legal battles, averaging 2.5 years per case. Three-quarters of resolved lawsuits were lost by food corporations, but he said unsuccessful cases could still delay public-health measures for years and impose healthcare and legal costs on governments.

The investigation found that food labelling was the policy most frequently challenged, followed by junk-food taxes and marketing restrictions. Three-quarters of the lawsuits were filed by ultra-processed food companies or trade groups. Where plaintiffs could be identified, 38% of company-filed cases were brought by Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Mondelēz, Kellogg’s, Danone, Ferrero, Xignux and Heartland Food Products Group.

Almost 1 billion people, or one in seven worldwide, were living with obesity in 2024, Tedros said. He urged governments to continue adopting measures to address unhealthy diets and called on companies to end litigation and other tactics that strain government resources and hinder public-health protections.