More than half of the calories American adults eat now come from ultra-processed foods, and for children the share is even higher. A growing body of research links heavy consumption of ultra-processed foods to serious chronic illness, and a wave of lawsuits now alleges that major food manufacturers knew about those risks and marketed their products anyway.

If you or your child has been diagnosed with a serious health condition after years of eating these products, an ultra-processed food lawsuit attorney at Shaheen & Gordon can help you understand your legal options. Our firm has represented individuals against large corporations since 1981, and we’re reviewing potential claims now.

Call (800) 451-1002 to request a free consultation.

Why choose Shaheen & Gordon for an ultra-processed food claim?

Cases against the food industry pit individual families against some of the largest companies in the world. That’s the kind of fight our law firm was built for. 

Shaheen & Gordon is one of the largest firms in New Hampshire, with 70+ attorneys, and our practice has centered on representing individuals against large corporations and their insurers for more than four decades. We have offices across Northern New England as well as Hawaii, and serve clients in numerous municipalities.

Our attorneys have earned recognition from Super Lawyers®, Martindale-Hubbell®, Best Lawyers®, and U.S. News – Best Law Firms®.

What are ultra-processed foods (UPFs)?

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are industrial food products made with ingredients and methods that people don’t use in home kitchens, like emulsifiers, artificial colorings and flavorings, sweeteners, and texture-modifying additives. Check the ingredient label: if it lists things you couldn’t buy at a grocery store, you’re likely holding an ultra-processed food.

Sodas and energy drinks, packaged snacks, deli meat, sweetened breakfast cereals, frozen meals, and much of the packaged bread sold in grocery stores all fall into this category. These products are engineered to be habit-forming and flavorful, often at the cost of nutrition.

These products dominate the average American diet. According to the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, ultra-processed foods accounted for 53% of the calories consumed by U.S. adults and about 62% of the calories consumed by children and teens between 2021 and 2023. The 2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, for the first time, encourage consumers to eat fewer highly processed foods.

What health risks are linked to ultra-processed foods?

Research has connected heavy consumption of ultra-processed foods to a wide range of serious illnesses. A 2024 umbrella review published in The BMJ, covering nearly 10 million participants, found direct associations between UPF exposure and 32 adverse health outcomes. The strongest evidence involved cardiovascular disease-related death, common mental health disorders, and conditions like type 2 diabetes.

Researchers continue to study exactly how these products affect the body, and the science is stronger for some conditions than others. That distinction matters in litigation, because each claim depends on connecting a specific diagnosis to a specific history of consumption.

Related reading: Do personal injury cases go to trial?

What are the ultra-processed foods lawsuits alleging?

The ultra-processed foods lawsuits allege that major food manufacturers designed products to be hyper-palatable and habit-forming, knew about the associated health risks, and marketed the products as safe anyway. Several complaints also allege that these companies deliberately target children with their marketing and borrowed strategies the tobacco industry once used.

The first individual suit came in December 2024, when a Philadelphia man alleged that a lifetime of eating these products caused his type 2 diabetes and non alcoholic fatty liver disease by age 16. His complaint named 11 of the largest ultra-processed food manufacturers in the country. More than ten consumer suits making similar claims have followed. The trial court dismissed that first case in 2025, finding correlation but not causation, and the plaintiff has sought further review. Plaintiffs’ firms say they plan to keep filing and to push for consolidation into multidistrict litigation.

In December 2025, the San Francisco City Attorney filed the first government lawsuit against ultra-processed foods manufacturers, alleging deceptive business practices and public nuisance under California law. The public nuisance theory treats the health effects of UPFs as a societal harm that forces governments to spend public funds, the same approach governments used in tobacco and opioid litigation. Legal experts see the case as a significant test of whether public health claims can succeed where early individual claims struggled.

Can you bring a legal claim over ultra-processed foods?

You may be eligible to bring a claim if you were diagnosed with a serious health condition linked to sustained consumption of ultra-processed foods. These legal claims rest on several theories:

• Deceptive marketing: Complaints allege the companies represented their products as safe and healthy while internal knowledge showed otherwise.
• Failure to warn: Product liability law requires manufacturers to warn consumers about known risks; the suits allege UPF makers never did.
• Negligence and design-based claims: Some complaints allege the products were engineered to drive overconsumption despite known health risks.

Because this litigation is developing, courts are still defining what plaintiffs must prove. The cases filed so far focus on people diagnosed at a young age with diet-related conditions after years of heavy UPF consumption, where the connection between the products and the illness is most direct. An ultra-processed food lawsuit lawyer can evaluate whether your diagnosis, your dietary history, and the timing of both support a claim.

What compensation could an ultra-processed food claim seek?

A successful claim can seek compensation for medical bills and future treatment costs, lost income and reduced earning capacity, physical and emotional harm, and loss of enjoyment of life. When a family member has died from a condition linked to these products, a wrongful death claim may also be available.

Some states allow punitive damages against defendants whose conduct was shown to be intentionally deceptive. State law varies on this point. While New Hampshire does not allow for punitive damages, there is an opportunity for enhanced compensatory damages. They can serve a similar purpose, but punitive damages are intended to punish the defendant, and enhanced compensatory damages are available to compensate the victim in instances of wanton, malicious, or oppressive intent on behalf of the defendant.

How long do you have to file an ultra-processed food lawsuit?

Every state sets its own deadline. In New Hampshire, most personal injury claims must be filed within three years under RSA 508:4. Maine allows six years for most civil claims, while some states allow as little as one or two years. When the clock starts can depend on when the condition was diagnosed and when its connection to the products became known, which is a fact-specific question worth raising with a lawyer early.

Because this litigation is relatively recent and the science is still being tested in court, the strength of a claim can depend on how well the consumption history and medical timeline are documented. Records fade, and memories blur, so it helps to preserve medical records, receipts, and other evidence of long-term purchasing habits as early as possible.

Frequently asked questions about ultra-processed food lawsuits

Who can file a UPF lawsuit?

People diagnosed with a serious diet-related condition after sustained consumption of ultra-processed foods, and in some circumstances their parents or surviving family members, may be eligible. The current cases focus on plaintiffs whose diagnoses came at a young age, where diet is easier to isolate as a contributing factor.

What conditions are involved in these lawsuits?

The filed cases center on type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, particularly in people who are diagnosed young. Research has also associated heavy UPF consumption with cardiovascular disease, obesity, mental health conditions, and other chronic illnesses, and the range of conditions involved in litigation may grow as the science develops.

Is there a class action for ultra-processed foods?

Not currently. The consumer cases filed so far are individual lawsuits, and plaintiffs’ firms have publicly stated they aim to consolidate them into multidistrict litigation, which coordinates individual cases rather than combining them into a single class.

What evidence supports an ultra-processed food claim?

Medical records documenting the diagnosis, a history of the consumption of ultra-processed products involved, and the timeline connecting the two. If you retain our firm, our personal injury attorneys handle the work of gathering and organizing that evidence.

Talk to an ultra-processed food lawsuit attorney at Shaheen & Gordon

If a serious diagnosis in your family followed years of eating these products, you don’t have to sort out the legal questions alone. Our ultra-processed food lawyers will review your situation and tell you plainly whether you may have a claim. Shaheen & Gordon makes that first conversation easy, with virtual appointments available and offices from New Hampshire to Hawaii.

Call (800) 451-1002 or contact us online to request a free consultation.