Mexico Enforces Junk Food Ban in Schools Amid Childhood Obesity Crisis

 

Mexico has given schools six months to enforce a government-sponsored ban on junk food, officials announced Monday. This move aims to combat what authorities call the world's worst childhood obesity crisis. Schools failing to comply will face hefty fines.

The new regulations target popular snacks such as sugary drinks, chips, pork rinds, and salty, chili-flavored peanuts, which have been consumed by generations of Mexican children. Schools that violate the ban could face fines ranging from $545 to $5,450, which could double for repeat offenses—amounting to nearly a year’s wages for some administrators.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) reports that Mexican children have the highest junk food consumption in Latin America, with some receiving up to 40% of their daily calories from unhealthy snacks. Roughly one-third of the country’s children are considered overweight or obese.

While previous efforts to curb junk food in schools have had little impact, a recent survey of over 10,000 schools revealed that 98% of them still sold junk food, 95% offered sugary drinks, and 79% had soft drinks available. Furthermore, 25% of schools displayed advertisements for junk food on their premises.

Mexico’s newly elected president, Claudia Sheinbaum, emphasized the importance of offering healthier alternatives like water fountains and nutritious snacks. “It’s much better to eat a bean taco than a bag of potato chips,” Sheinbaum said. “It’s much better to drink hibiscus flower water than soda.”

However, the country faces a challenge in providing free drinking water to students. As of 2020, only about 10,900 schools—just 4% of the nation's 255,000 schools—had installed drinking fountains. Many schools struggle with basic infrastructure needs like bathrooms, electricity, and internet access.

Mexico introduced front-of-package warning labels for foods between 2010 and 2020, alerting consumers to high levels of salt, sugar, and saturated fats. Under the new regulations, schools must remove any product with a warning label from their snack stands.

One unresolved issue is how the government will regulate the vendors who sell junk food outside schools. According to the survey, 77% of schools have vendors selling snacks just outside their gates during recess. The challenge of enforcing the ban beyond school grounds remains a significant concern.