Mexico Bans Junk Food in Schools With Industry Support

The Ministry of Public Education (SEP) has reached an agreement with food industry companies to ban junk food in schools, marking a major step in Mexico’s fight against childhood obesity. Major industry leaders like Coca-Cola have pledged not to sell high-calorie products in elementary schools, aligning with the government’s push for healthier eating habits.

Mario Delgado, Minister of Public Education (SEP), announced that major companies producing high-calorie products have agreed not to seek legal protection against the ban on selling these items in schools. The measure, set to take effect on March 29, is part of the Live Healthy, Live Happy strategy promoted by President Claudia Sheinbaum to encourage healthy eating habits among students.

During President Sheinbaum’s morning press conference on Monday, Delgado recalled that, in the past, these companies sought legal protection to continue selling their products in schools. “We have been in talks with companies that sell these low-nutritional, high-calorie products. We have finally reached an agreement: they will not file legal challenges against these measures and have decided to join the Live Healthy strategy, meaning they will no longer sell junk food in schools,” he said.

Coca-Cola was among the companies to publicly commit to the initiative, pledging not to sell soft drinks in elementary schools to comply with the government program’s guidelines. “The Mexican Coca-Cola Industry (IMCC) is fully committed to this strategy, sharing the goal of promoting children’s health. To this end, we reinforce our commitment not to sell any products from our portfolio that carry warning labels or cautionary messages on their front packaging in elementary schools in Mexico,” the company stated in a press release.

Regarding the program’s progress, Delgado reported that since its launch last Wednesday, 1,064 elementary schools have been visited, and 196,701 students have been assessed by specialists. The goal is to reach 11.8 million children across 90,000 public elementary schools.

In addition to the junk food ban, which will be reinforced by distributing a special guide for school cooperatives outlining permitted and prohibited food items, the Live Healthy, Live Happy initiative includes a nationwide assessment of students’ weight, height, visual acuity, and oral health. This evaluation will be conducted by specialists from the Ministry of Health and the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS). All data will be collected with parental consent through a custom-developed application by IMSS and the Digital Transformation Agency, using tablets to ensure a streamlined and standardized process.

According to a Yale University study, Mexico is the world’s top consumer of soft drinks, with an average of 163L per person per year, approximately 40% more than the United States, which ranks second with 118L. The 2023 National Health and Nutrition Survey (ENSANUT) found that 37% of elementary school children and 40% of adolescents in Mexico are overweight or obese. Moreover, the issue worsens with age, as 4 out of 10 people over 15 suffer from obesity.