Court ends ultra-processed foods lawsuit that named PepsiCo and Kraft Heinz

A federal judge in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania refused to let the plaintiff amend his complaint again and ended the case on June 30, 2026. The ruling said the plaintiff had not shown that the foods caused his type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease, since the law requires causation rather than correlation. The outcome limits one headline legal risk for packaged-food makers, including PepsiCo.

• Ruling dated June 30, 2026
• Defendants included Kraft Heinz and PepsiCo
• Court held that causation was not plausibly alleged; leave to amend denied
• Plaintiff alleged type 2 diabetes and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease