As ultra-processed foods have proliferated, rates of obesity, cancer and diabetes have increased, the lawsuit claims. According to Chiu's office, heart disease and diabetes -- both linked to ultraprocessed foods -- are among San Francisco's leading causes of death, with higher rates of diagnosis among minority and low-income communities. The city is seeking restitution and civil penalties to offset its healthcare costs, along with a court order prohibiting the companies from engaging in deceptive marketing and requiring them to alter their practices. Although the definition of ultraprocessed foods remains under debate, researchers generally apply it to many packaged snack foods, sweets and soft drinks made using processing techniques, additives and industrial ingredients, and mostly containing little whole foods.