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The city of San Francisco has filed a lawsuit targeting a group of ten leading food manufacturers on Tuesday, alleging knowingly marketing highly processed products that are linked to a increase in major health conditions.

City attorneys argue that the companies' tactics resemble those historically employed by the cigarette manufacturers. They claim that local governments are now left to shoulder the substantial public healthcare costs linked to these food items.

Companies Cited in the Legal Complaint

Corporations such as Kraft Heinz and Coca-Cola are accused of purposefully marketed addictive and harmful products in breach of California laws concerning public nuisance and unfair competition, according to the legal document.

Kraft and the remaining named companies did not immediately respond to inquiries regarding the lawsuit.

Range of Goods and City's Position

Their product lines include everything from biscuits and candies to breakfast foods and snack bars.

"These corporations created a public health crisis, they profited greatly, and now they must take responsibility for the harm they have caused," stated the city's top lawyer the City Attorney in a released statement.

Industry Reaction

Sarah Gallo, a top official of product policy at the Consumer Brands Association, argued that an "agreed upon scientific definition" of these food products does not exist.

"Attempting to classify foods as harmful merely due to being processed, or vilifying products by ignoring their complete nutritional profile, misleads consumers and worsens health inequalities," Ms Gallo commented.

Manufacturers, she added, are introducing new products with higher protein and fiber, reduced sugar and salt and free from artificial coloring.

Arguments of the Lawsuit

The legal action, filed in a local court and among the earliest of its type, argues that the growing availability of these products has coincided with a "dramatic increase" in obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular illness, cancer and additional long-term conditions.

"This case is about consumer goods with hidden health risks," the filing declares.

The city is requesting financial damages and a statewide order compelling the large corporations to change their "deceptive" marketing tactics.

Broader Context

Worry about highly manufactured food has emerged as an area of consensus among some progressive politicians and federal health officials, even as they disagree on other positions.

Earlier this year, the US Health Secretary announced that the United States would, for example, ban eight widely utilized artificial food dyes.

The top health official and his associated movement have also urged companies to remove components such as high-fructose syrup, seed oils and synthetic colors from their offerings, linking them to health problems.

Some food companies have publicized reforms to their formulas in recent months. One major beverage firm this summer committed to use natural sugar in its beverages sold in the US.

Case History

San Francisco's lawsuit is the first filed by a public authority over food companies' intentional promotion of ultra-processed foods.

However this year, a court in another state threw out a different case brought by an private citizen who claimed processed foods led to his diabetes and liver disease.