A US resident has filed the first-ever lawsuit against The Coca-Cola Company, Mondelez International and nine other soft drink and candy manufacturers because their products are likely to cause addiction and chronic diseases in children. This was reported in a message published on the website of the law firm Morgan & Morgan.
It is noted that the plaintiff, Bruce Martinez, claims that consuming the products of the aforementioned companies, including Coca-Cola and Pepsi drinks, as well as Mars bars, led to the fact that by the age of 16 he developed type II diabetes and fatty liver disease. The lawsuit states that the food industry giants resort to deep processing of products in their production, which can cause addiction in children and lead to the development of chronic diseases.
“The story of highly processed food products is an egregious example of how companies put profits above the health and safety of the people who buy their products,” said Mike Morgan, a partner at the law firm. According to him, the consequences of the actions of the soft drink and sweets manufacturers could have harmed “thousands of children and families,” and the management of the companies probably knew about the harm of the technology used “for at least a quarter of a century.” Morgan & Morgan’s lawyers cite studies that show that highly processed foods make up about 67% of the diet of children in the United States. At the same time, at least 14% of American adults and 12% of children show signs of addiction to this type of food. The lawsuit also cites scientific data according to which the consumption of highly processed foods can lead to cancer, cardiovascular disease, irritable bowel syndrome, dementia and other serious diseases.