{
  "id": 18959,
  "title": "Ultra-processed food companies hindering health drives by suing countries, says WHO",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/01/ultra-processed-food-companies-hindering-health-drives-by-suing",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-08-01T16:00:56.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Guardian Business",
    "slug": "guardian-business",
    "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/aug/01/ultra-processed-food-companies-hindering-health-drives-by-suing-countries-says-who"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The World Health Organization (WHO) director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has accused major ultra-processed food corporations of hindering global efforts to combat the obesity crisis. These companies are suing governments that attempt to promote healthier diets, causing countries to incur billions of dollars in healthcare and legal costs. Almost 1 billion people worldwide suffer from obesity, a significant driver of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. UPF consumption has increased and now constitutes half of the average diet in many countries, including the UK, US, and Australia. Governments worldwide have introduced measures to curb junk-food intake and promote healthier diets, such as front-of-pack warning labels, marketing restrictions, and taxes on unhealthy products. While the food corporations claim to support these policies and help consumers make informed choices, an investigation by the Guardian, in collaboration with academics and a coalition of media partners, found that many of these companies were actually suing governments to overturn, weaken, or delay these policies. Over 235 lawsuits were lodged from 2010 to 2025 in countries like Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, the US, and the UK. Of the resolved lawsuits, three-quarters were lost by the food corporations, but even unsuccessful cases delayed the adoption of vital public health measures for years. The lawsuits have prolonged the global obesity crisis and cost countries billions in legal and healthcare expenses, creating a regulatory chill that deters governments from adopting protective policies. Tedros acknowledged some companies' efforts to make their products healthier but emphasized that litigation and other tactics that strain government resources and hinder public health efforts are insufficient.",
  "summary": "Exclusive: Director general accuses corporations of obstructing efforts to tackle obesity crisis after investigation by Guardian and others The world’s biggest ultra-processed food corporations are hindering global efforts to tackle the obesity crisis by suing governments that try to promote healthier diets, the head of the World Health Organization has said. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Guardian Health",
        "title": "Ultra-processed food companies hindering health drives by suing countries, says WHO",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/01/ultra-processed-food-companies-hindering-health-drives-by-suing-25986",
        "published": "2026-08-01T16:00:56.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}