Researchers found that around three-quarters of the cases were ultimately unsuccessful. Photo credit: Beauty-box/Shutterstock
Food companies have challenged hundreds of government measures aimed at tackling obesity, with the WHO accusing the industry of delaying policies designed to protect public health The battle over unhealthy food is no longer only being fought in supermarkets. Governments around the world are introducing warning labels, sugar taxes and advertising restrictions in an attempt to tackle rising rates of obesity and diet-related disease.
But according to the World Health Organization, some of the world’s biggest food companies are fighting back through the courts. An international investigation has uncovered hundreds of legal challenges brought against governments attempting to introduce measures aimed at changing how unhealthy products are sold and promoted. The findings have triggered a response from WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who accused parts of the food industry of using legal action to slow down public health policies.
Hundreds of legal battles uncovered
The investigation, led by The Guardian alongside Lighthouse Reports, researchers and media partners across four continents, examined lawsuits filed between 2010 and 2025. It identified 235 legal challenges against policies including front-of-pack warning labels, sugary drink taxes, restrictions on marketing aimed at children and rules limiting health claims on food packaging.
Researchers found that around three-quarters of those cases were ultimately unsuccessful. However, the legal battles still had an impact, delaying health measures by an average of two and a half years. Public health experts say those delays can prevent governments from introducing policies designed to reduce consumption of products linked to obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
The fight over food moves into courtrooms
For years, campaigns against unhealthy diets focused mainly on personal choices, encouraging people to eat better and exercise more. That approach has increasingly shifted as governments argue that consumers are making choices in an environment shaped by aggressive marketing, cheap processed products and easy access to foods high in sugar, salt and unhealthy fats. As a result, countries have introduced stronger measures designed to influence behaviour before health problems develop.
Warning labels on products, restrictions on advertising to children and taxes on sugary drinks have become some of the most common tools used by governments trying to reduce the impact of poor diets. Food manufacturers have challenged many of those measures, arguing that they can damage businesses and restrict consumer choice.
Major companies named
The investigation found that 38 per cent of identifiable lawsuits were linked to eight major parent companies: Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Mondelēz International, Kellogg’s, Danone, Ferrero, Xignux and Heartland Food Products Group. The companies involved have argued that legal challenges are a legitimate way to question regulations they believe are unfair, excessive or unsupported by evidence.
Health organisations disagree, arguing that legal battles can delay policies that could prevent illness and reduce pressure on healthcare systems. The WHO says governments should not abandon measures designed to improve public health because of legal threats from powerful industries.
Why ultra-processed food is under scrutiny
Ultra-processed foods include many packaged snacks, sugary drinks, confectionery, processed meats, ready meals and other products made using industrial ingredients and additives. Not all processed foods are considered unhealthy, but research has increasingly linked diets high in ultra-processed products with higher risks of obesity, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and other serious health conditions.
Scientists continue to study exactly why these foods are associated with poorer health outcomes, but concern has grown enough for governments to introduce new regulations. The WHO argues that individuals alone cannot solve the problem when unhealthy products are heavily marketed and widely available.
A global health battle
The legal disputes uncovered by the investigation have taken place in countries including Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, the United Kingdom and the United States. While many lawsuits have failed, health campaigners say the process itself can slow progress by forcing governments to spend time and money defending policies instead of implementing them. Dr Tedros has called on countries to continue introducing measures backed by scientific evidence and has urged food companies to work with governments rather than challenge public health protections.
The dispute reflects a much bigger argument over who should decide how food is regulated: governments responding to health data, or companies defending their commercial interests. For shoppers, the outcome could affect everything from the labels on supermarket products to the adverts children see online. The fight over ultra-processed food may be happening in courtrooms, but its consequences could end up on every kitchen table.
