Texas Ultra-Processed Food Lawyer

Ultra-processed food lawsuits have been filed for children who were diagnosed with type-2 diabetes and other severe health problems.

Need a Texas Ultra-Processed Food Lawyer? Collen A. Clark is a true advocate for his clients and is passionate about helping Texans that have been injured or wronged. If your child was diagnosed with type-2 diabetes or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease from eating ultra-processed food, you should contact our lawyers immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a lawsuit.

What Are Ultra-Processed Foods?

Ultra-Processed Food (UPF) is an edible product that contains ingredients that are highly-modified from the original whole food. They often have high levels of sugars, unhealthy fats, salt, and additives.

Most people are familiar with ultra-processed foods like candy, potato chips, instant noodles, and processed meats like chicken nuggets. But there are also many “hidden” ultra-processed foods that are marketed as healthy — like some types of protein bars, granola bars, or yogurt.

You can look on the ingredient label to learn more about what you (or your children) are eating. Ultra-processed foods usually have added sugars and ingredients that you would not normally find in a kitchen.

What is the Problem?

Ultra-processed foods are widely recognized as unhealthy, but they may also be addictive — especially for children. There is growing awareness of the long-term health risks. Ultra-processed foods are linked to diabetes, fatty liver disease, and other health problems.

Ultra-Processed Foods Advertised to Children

Lawsuits are being filed against “Big Food” companies, some of which have roots in the tobacco industry. Lawsuits accuse these companies of designing ultra-processed foods to be addictive, like cigarettes, and then aggressively marketing them toward children and young adults.

Why Are Ultra-Processed Foods So Profitable?

Ultra-processed foods are designed to maximize profits. They are made with inexpensive ingredients that are easy to mass-produce, like hydrogenated oils and refined sugars. They also last a long time on store shelves due to preservatives, which helps boost profit margins.

These shelf-stable foods are convenient as a snack food, and with a cheap price-point and flashy packaging, they are hard for hungry consumers to resist. They are also designed to be extremely tasty — typically high in calories, refined sugar, quick-digesting carbohydrates, unhealthy fats, and additives, but very low in protein or nutrition.

The Link Between Diabetes and Ultra-Processed Foods

It is easy to over-indulge in snack foods. For people who do this routinely, it can become a habit that leads to overeating and weight-gain. Being overweight is one of the biggest risk-factors for type-2 diabetes, which is a metabolic disease that occurs when the body does not process sugars or use insulin properly.

People who have diabetes struggle with blood-sugar levels, which can cause symptoms like extreme hunger and fatigue. These symptoms can also trigger intense cravings for quick-digesting sugars in ultra-processed foods.

Brown Rice Syrup: An Example of Ultra-Processed Food

One example would be brown rice syrup, which is a sweetener that is used in some organic snack foods and granola bars. Brown rice syrup is created using an industrialized process that removes nearly everything from a grain of rice except the sugar. It has a glycemic index of 98, which is higher than table sugar (65). Some studies have also found high levels of arsenic in brown rice syrup, presumably because rice absorbs arsenic from the water and soil used to grow it.

What is Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)?

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is when excess fat accumulates in the liver. It can progress to a severe type of liver disease involving inflammation of the liver, elevated liver enzymes, and liver damage. Over time, it can cause scarring and cirrhosis of the liver, in which the liver is permanently damaged. This can lead to cancer, liver failure, or death.

How Common is Fatty Liver Disease?

NAFLD is more common in people with type-2 diabetes and obesity. Studies suggest that 30% of adults in the U.S. have NAFLD. Over 90% of people with severe obesity have NAFLD.

Signs & Symptoms of NAFLD

The symptoms of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease can include:

• Severe tiredness (fatigue)
• Pain in the right upper-belly area
• Weakness
• Weight loss
• Yellowing of the skin or eyes (jaundice)
• Itching
• And more

Ultra-Processed Food Lawsuits

Lawsuits claim that ultra-processed foods are linked to health problems, especially for children who eat these products every day. One of the first ultra-processed food lawsuits was filed in January 2025 against many “Big Food” manufacturers, such as Coca-Cola, Nestle, Conagra, Mondelez, Kraft Heinz, General Mills, PepsiCo, WK Kellogg, and other companies.

What Do Lawsuits Claim?

Big food manufacturers are facing lawsuits for deliberately engineering ultra-processed foods to be addictive. They are also accused of aggressively advertising their products to children, while failing to warn parents about the risk of lifelong health problems like type-2 diabetes.

Chronic Diseases Linked to Ultra-Processed Foods

Lawsuits claim that advertising ultra-processed foods toward children has contributed to the rising levels of chronic diseases, including:

• Type-2 diabetes
• Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
• Obesity
• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Certain types of cancer
• And more

Can I Join a Class Action Lawsuit?

Our law firm is are actively investigating cases where ultra-processed foods are linked to type-2 diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), especially in people diagnosed before age 18.

If you or your loved one was harmed, we may be able to help you seek justice and financial compensation by filing a lawsuit against the “Big Food” companies who are responsible for these health problems.

Need an Ultra-Processed Food Lawyer in Texas?

Collen A. Clark is a true advocate for his clients and is passionate about helping Texans that have been injured or wronged.

Collen’s amazing success in the courtroom and well known dedication to his clients has earned him the recognition of his peers as one of The Top Trial Lawyers in Texas.”

The Clark Firm has assembled a team of trial lawyers with more than 100 years of experience, participation in over 600 jury trials, and $260 million in verdicts and/or settlements. Please use the form below to contact our law firm for a free case review.