Mexico has become a major battleground over the regulation of ultra-processed food and sugary drinks — and the fight is increasingly taking place in the courts.
A new investigation by Quinto Elemento Lab, in collaboration with Lighthouse Reports and an international media partnership, has documented at least 239 lawsuits brought by the food and beverage industry across six major markets between 2010 and 2025. Remarkably, 80% of those cases were filed in Mexico.
The investigation documents 193 legal challenges in Mexico, many targeting measures designed to protect public health — including front-of-package warning labels, taxes on sugary drinks, restrictions on advertising aimed at children, and bans on the sale of junk food in schools. The majority of cases ultimately went against the industry: 154 were resolved in favour of the public interest, while 19 remain pending.
But the investigation suggests that winning in court isn’t necessarily the industry’s only objective. Legal challenges can delay the implementation of regulations, consume public resources and create a warning for other governments considering similar policies. The sheer scale of the litigation also reveals the resources major food and beverage companies are prepared to deploy to challenge regulation.
The story goes beyond the courtroom, examining how companies and industry groups have also sought to influence the regulatory process itself — including through lobbying, public consultations and coordinated submissions opposing Mexico’s food labelling rules.
At the centre of the investigation is a wider question about who gets to shape public-health policy: governments and citizens, or industries with the resources to challenge regulation at every stage?
Read the full investigation from Quinto Elemento Lab:
México, el campo de batalla de la industria de alimentos ultraprocesados
The investigation was produced with Lighthouse Reports and supported by Report for Impact.