California's Ultraprocessed Foods Lawsuit Sent Back to State Court
A federal court sent San Francisco’s ultraprocessed foods case back to California state court.
Why it matters: The transfer underscores the state’s pivotal role in food product liability cases—an important signal for legal teams advising on similar consumer protection and regulatory challenges. Local jurisdictions may increasingly shape the direction and outcome of high-profile litigation in the food and beverage sector.
- San Francisco sued ten major food manufacturers on December 2, 2025.
- Defendants include Kraft Heinz, PepsiCo, General Mills, and others.
- The suit alleges these companies knowingly sold addictive and harmful ultra-processed foods.
- In April 2026, a federal court returned the case to California state court, citing local authority.
San Francisco’s headline lawsuit targeting the nation’s largest food manufacturers will proceed in California state court after a federal judge rejected manufacturers’ jurisdictional challenges. The decision reinforces state-level oversight in high-stakes product liability claims against food industry giants.
- Filed December 2, 2025, the lawsuit names Kraft Heinz, PepsiCo, General Mills, Mars Inc., The Coca-Cola Company, Nestle USA, Kellogg, Post Holdings, Mondelez International, and ConAgra Brands as defendants.
- San Francisco alleges the companies’ ultra-processed foods are engineered to be addictive and linked to significant health issues, including Type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, and cancer.
- City Attorney David Chiu likened company tactics to those historically used by the tobacco industry, claiming, “They took food and made it unrecognizable and harmful to the human body... These companies engineered a public health crisis, they profited handsomely, and now they need to take responsibility for the harm they have caused.”
- The City seeks to stop alleged deceptive marketing and obtain penalties and restitution.
- In April 2026, the federal court transferred the matter back, highlighting the primacy of state jurisdiction in food liability cases (more).
The lawsuit’s progress in state court will be closely watched by legal and compliance teams as it may inform future approaches to consumer product litigation and regulatory risk mitigation. With no public response yet from defendant manufacturers, the focus remains on the case’s local legal standing and its potential ramifications for food industry practices going forward.
By the numbers:
- 10 manufacturers — named as defendants in San Francisco’s lawsuit
- December 2, 2025 — date the lawsuit was filed
- April 2026 — lawsuit transferred back to California state court