Major food companies including Kraft Heinz, Mondelez and Coca-Cola were the target of a new US lawsuit on Tuesday accusing them of developing and marketing addictive “ultra-processed” food products for children that are linked to chronic illness.

The lawsuit was filed in the Philadelphia Court of Appeals by Pennsylvania resident Bryce Martinez, who claims to have developed type 2 diabetes mellitus and non-alcoholic fatty liver diseasediagnosed at age 16 as a result of consuming company products.

His lawyers at Morgan & Morgan, a leading US plaintiffs’ firm, called the case the first of its kind.

Other companies being sued include Post Holdings, PepsiCo, General Mills, the US division of Nestlé, WK Kellogg, Mars, Kellanova and Conagra. The defendants did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In recent years, evidence has emerged that highly processed foods connected With a wide range of chronic health problems. Food products considered “ultra-processedinclude a variety of packaged snacks, candies and soft drinks that use substances extracted from food or artificially synthesized.

Current U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Robert Califf said ultra-processed foods are likely addictive.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to head the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, criticized the food industry and the FDA for failing to regulate it.

Martinez’s lawsuit alleges that food companies have long known their products are harmful and deliberately designed them to be as addictive as possible. He claims they are using the same “cigarette playbook” as tobacco giants Philip Morris and RJ Reynolds, which for a time owned the companies that became Kraft Heinz and Mondelez.

The lawsuit includes allegations of conspiracy, negligence, fraudulent misrepresentation and unfair trade practices. It seeks an unspecified amount of compensatory and punitive damages.

Brendan Pearson/Reuters.