Sunday, August 9th 2026
On March 14, 2025, in the suburbs of Bogotá, a 6-year-old girl collapsed in her apartment due to a severe intestinal obstruction.
Her diet reportedly consisted almost exclusively of ultra-processed foods: potato chips, industrial sweets, fried products and high-sugar drinks.
Cheap foods, but poor in fiber and nutritional value, which are often consumed in areas where even drinking water is a luxury.
At the same time, the largest companies in the food industry had launched a legal and lobbying battle against the Colombian government’s efforts to limit the consumption of harmful foods.
An international investigation conducted by Lighthouse Reports and several media partners has revealed how the so-called “Big Food” industry uses economic power, lawyers and political influence to block health reforms.
According to the investigation, between years 2010-2025, in six countries analyzed – Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, USA, Britain and India – ultra-processed food companies filed 239 lawsuits against measures aimed at protecting consumers.
In total, government officials and public lawyers were forced to spend more than 595 working years dealing with these legal battles.
Among the companies with the most lawsuits are Coca-Cola with 24 cases, PepsiCo with 17, Mondelez with 8, while Kellogg’s and Danone with 5 cases each.
The list also includes the Italian company Ferrero, known for products such as Nutella, which has been involved in several conflicts around the new food rules.
Companies publicly declare that they support healthy eating and informed consumer choices.
But when governments try to impose taxes on sugary drinks or warning labels on packaging, the response is often a lawsuit or legal threat.
One of the strategies most used by the industry is not necessarily winning lawsuits, but delaying laws.
In Mexico, where most of the lawsuits have been filed, companies have opposed warning labels on food for years. Even when the chances of victory are small, a temporary court decision can postpone the implementation of a reform for years.
In Europe, this strategy manifests itself through political pressure known as “regulatory cooling”: governments are discouraged from adopting new laws for fear of lawsuits, conflicts with European market rules or loss of investment.
Italy is a special example. While countries like France have used the Nutri-Score system to inform consumers about nutritional values, in Italy this model has been strongly opposed by the food industry.
In its place, the Nutrinform Battery system has been promoted, which according to critics is less understandable for consumers.
But behind the political debate, a serious health problem is hidden. Italy has one of Europe’s highest rates of childhood overweight and obesity and, unlike some other countries, does not have strong restrictions on the advertising of harmful foods to minors.
Scientific studies have raised concerns about the impact of ultra-processed foods. A clinical study by the US National Institutes of Health has shown a direct link between the consumption of these products and weight gain.
While other international studies have warned of an increased risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some types of cancer.
While companies protect a market worth billions of dollars, governments face a major challenge: how to protect public health without being blocked by the economic and legal pressure of the ultra-food industry. processed. tesheshi.com
Source: prizrenpost
