Ultra-processed food manufacturers are under pressure, as a teenager in Pennsylvania has launched a lawsuit against several food giants.

Bryce Martinez, 18, who was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease at age 16 after consuming ultra-processed foods throughout his childhood, is taking on 11 food manufacturers for allegedly developing the food to be addictive, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Between 5% and 10% of American children had nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) as of 2021, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).

TEENAGER SUGGESTS FOOD GIANTS OVER ULTRA-PROCESSED FOOD AFTER DIAGNOSE WITH FATTY LIVER DISEASE

“NAFLD has become more common in children in recent decades, in part because childhood obesity has become more common,” NIDDK wrote on its website.

One in five children between the ages of 12 and 18 is pre-diabetic, according to 2019 CDC data. (Fox News)

In a Sunday appearance on “Fox & Friends Weekend,” Fox News medical contributor Dr. Nicole Saphier that these statistics are “shocking but not surprising.”

“We’ve seen this trend happen over the last decade or so,” she said. “And while we have come to accept the fact that American adults tend to be overweight and have metabolic syndrome, pre-diabetes and diabetes, it’s now going into our children.”

ULTRA-PROCESSED FOOD MAKES UP 60% OF AMERICA’S DIET, WHO IS AT RISK

This development “makes sense,” according to Saphier, since children often adopt their parents’ lifestyle choices.

“These lifestyle behaviorsunfortunately, now (hurting) our children,” she said.

Bad lifestyle habits of American adults are being passed on to their children, Saphier suggested. (iStock)

The doctor agreed that “harmful consumption” promotes products that seriously can affect healthmuch like “big tobacco”, alcohol and some drugs.

“These all have addiction potential,” Saphier said. “They really feed off our natural dopamine pathways, which are the reward centers of the brain.”

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“If the product harms the actual consumer … does it work for the consumer or is it purely profit driven?” Sapphire asked. “Because the harsh reality is people profit from addiction.”

As for Bryce Martinez, Saphier noted that “marketing is very aggressive, especially for our younger generations.” But she also asked – “where are the parents?”

Dr. Nicole Saphier joined “Fox & Friends Weekend” on December 15, 2024. (Fox News)

“We as individuals also have to hold ourselves accountable for some of this as well,” she added.

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“Yes, there are aggressive and harmful marketing campaigns, there (are) disgusting chemicals in it our food supply, especially what’s available to low-income populations — but we also have to think, as individuals, about what we choose to do.”

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Fox News Digital’s Maria Lencki contributed to this report.