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Lawsuit That Blamed Ultra-Processed Foods for Philly-Area Teen’s Illnesses Is Dismissed
A federal judge dismissed Monday a Philly-area teen’s lawsuit accusing the country’s largest food manufacturers of creating addictive and harmful ultra-processed foods that cause disease. The first-of-its-kind lawsuit was billed in December by Morgan & Morgan attorneys as akin to the 1990s tobacco litigation that resulted in a global settlement of over $200 billion and sparked policy changes.
Despite her concerns over “the practices used to create and market” ultra-processed foods, and their negative effects on children, District Judge Mia Perez found that the complaint didn’t show a direct connection between ultra-processed foods and the illnesses of Bryce Martinez.
“There are simply not enough facts to suggest that Defendants’ products caused Plaintiff’s harm,” Perez wrote in the opinion. “Basic pleading rules require Plaintiff to plead more than the mere possibility of causation.” Mike Morgan, an attorney with Morgan & Morgan, said in a statement that the firm is disappointed and evaluating its next steps.
New Bill Would Block Bacon From Sick and Injured Pigs
Each year, between 500,000 and one million pigs too weak or injured to stand without assistance — known as “downed” pigs — are sent to slaughterhouses in the U.S.. The animals can end up downed from on-farm or transport injuries, poor handling, illness or extreme stress.
Some public health experts worry about health risks from consuming pork from downed pigs, which is not disclosed to consumers on the package. While the U.S. Department of Agriculture bans the slaughter of adult downed cattle and veal calves, there is currently no federal prohibition on slaughtering nonambulatory pigs.
Representative Veronica Escobar of Texas wants to change that. In late July, she reintroduced a bill seeking to prohibit the slaughter of downed pigs and improve handling rules to keep them out of the food supply. The measure cites the abusive use of drugs to increase growth rate and muscle mass by industrial pork farms and the “ineffective, inherently cruel” federal transport laws that can leave pigs unable to walk.
Called the Pigs and Public Health Act, the proposed legislation would prohibit some growth-boosting drugs and require safeguards during transport: protection from high winds, rain and snow, prohibit transportation at extreme temperatures, access to water and limits on overcrowding.
‘Clean Living’ a Priority for Nearly Three Quarters of Americans, Study Finds
European Supermarket Magazine reported:
A new report from Numerator has revealed that ‘clean living’ is a priority for 74% of U.S. consumers, who primarily define it as healthy eating and avoiding chemicals and additives. The findings of the study are based on a combination of survey data from 5,300 consumers in April 2025, using Numerator’s purchasing data.
Consumers generally prefer ‘cleaner’ options, with 78% supporting stricter regulations on artificial dyes, 74% actively checking ingredients, 68% avoiding ultra-processed foods, and 68% opting for raw or minimally processed products. Artificial dyes (46%) surpass sugar and high-fructose corn syrup as a top concern for nearly half of shoppers, followed by preservatives/additives (44%), all-natural ingredients (42%), and high-fructose corn syrup (42%).
These consumers prioritise environmental concerns (65%), brand values (32%), organic foods (26%) and specialty diets (25%), according to the report. The study also found that clean living isn’t just a recent fad — 24% have always cared, and 27% have started the practice within the last five to ten years.
Fewer Americans Than Ever Confident in Food Safety Regulations: Gallup
Confidence in the government’s ability to ensure food safety in the U.S. has hit a new low — a drop driven largely by distrust among Democrats, according to a poll released on Aug. 18. Gallup’s latest survey of consumer habits found 53% of Americans said they have at least a “fair amount” of faith in federal regulators maintaining a safe food supply.
Confidence had hovered around 70% from 2007 to 2019, based on Gallup’s previous findings, but it fell below 60% for the first time last year and continued to drop.
The latest poll found that confidence among Republicans in the government’s ability to maintain food safety held steady at 41% from last year to this year after President Trump’s return to the White House, but confidence fell off among Democrats.
About 74% of Democrats expressed confidence in federal food safety oversight in 2024, compared to 48% this year. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has heavily emphasized food as part of his overhaul of federal health care initiatives, but sweeping budget cuts across the federal government and has raised additional concerns at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Officials have maintained that none of the cuts impacted the number of inspectors or other food regulators.
