The WHO has warned that some of the world's largest ultra-processed food companies are using litigation to challenge government efforts to regulate unhealthy foods in the interest of public health. A recent investigation by The Guardian found 235 lawsuits filed by ultra-processed food companies over the last fifteen years in the UK, the US and several South American countries. Even where governments ultimately prevailed, litigation often delays implementation of needed regulatory efforts.

Pakistan should view these developments as more than a distant international debate given their implications for the country's own public-health challenges. Diabetes, obesity, hypertension and cardiovascular disease impose a substantial burden on Pakistan's public health system. Growing consumption of sugary drinks and ultra-processed foods is contributing to worsening rates of these preventable diseases.

The parallels between tobacco and ultra-processed foods are difficult to ignore. For decades, tobacco companies........

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