Thread by @laurenlee

🚨 DEVELOPING: One 16-year-old boy is suing Kraft Heinz & other food giants for knowingly weaponizing addiction science to poison him—and the rest of America’s children—with processed food.

I read the entire 148-page complaint.

Here’s what you need to know 🧵

2/ Plaintiff Bryce Martinez developed Type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease at just 16 due to heavy consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs). His lawsuit reveals the human cost of an industry that profits by preying on children.

3/ The lawsuit argues UPFs are "industrially produced edible substances that are imitations of food"—stripped of nutrition, pumped with additives, and designed for maximum addiction. These products dominate 2/3 of children's diets in the U.S.

4/ How did this happen? In the 1980s, Big Tobacco infiltrated Big Food. Companies like Philip Morris & RJ Reynolds used their cigarette playbook to turn food into a new addiction, targeting children and minorities.

@thefoodbabe also talks about this:

https://x.com/thefoodbabe/status/1866843871096733742

5/ The lawsuit states: “Big Tobacco intentionally designed UPFs to hack the physiological structures of our brains,” using “formulation strategies guided by the same tobacco company scientists and brain research that increased the addictiveness of cigarettes.”

6/ At a secret meeting in 1999, a Kraft executive warned fellow CEOs that UPFs were causing an epidemic of obesity and disease, costing $100 billion a year.

His chilling words: "With all this, can the trial lawyers be far behind?" The plea to change course? Ignored.

7/ Food execs knew exactly what they were doing to America's children, even back in 1999.

But they simply didn't care.

Concerns about public health were dismissed: "we're not going to change the formulations just because a bunch of guys are worried."

8/ Using brain research from cigarette labs, food scientists hacked human biology to make UPFs irresistible. As the lawsuit puts it: “The same MRI machines used by researchers to study cures for addiction were used by UPF companies to engineer their products to be addictive.”

9/ The marketing machine is as sinister as the products. These companies don't just use ads—they weaponize cartoons, colorful mascots, and “partnerships with entertainment franchises to attract and addict children before they can even read.”

They know exactly who they’re targeting.

10/ Products like sugary cereals and snack cakes are "deliberately branded to exploit the vulnerabilities of children." Think Tony the Tiger, Toucan Sam, and the endless parade of lovable characters designed to hook kids while making parents feel guilty for saying no.

11/ These marketing tactics aren’t accidental. Philip Morris executives openly stated their goal:

"We’ve decided to focus on kids where we know our strength is the greatest."

This billion-dollar strategy targets the most vulnerable.

12/ Not only is the marketing dangerous, but UPFs are inherently dangerous because they are "designed to hack the physiological nervous system and are aggressively marketed to children.”

Even UPFs with "healthy" claims remain harmful due to their ultra-processed nature.

13/ The impact is devastating. Rates of childhood obesity have tripled. Type 2 diabetes is skyrocketing in teens. And non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is now as common as asthma in children. These are manufactured epidemics.

14/ The lawsuit reveals the chilling truth: this isn't food. It’s a corporate weapon.

“The UPF industry uses strategies perfected by Big Tobacco to create products that are hyper-palatable, highly addictive, and designed to drive overconsumption at all costs.”

15/ Plaintiff Bryce Martinez is one of millions impacted.

Some argue that it's his fault for not making "better" choices.

But in my view, corporations deliberately poisoned a generation - and should pay the price.

What do you think?

Thanks for reading!

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