Mexican Officials Call for Food System Transformation

Mexico must accelerate a broad transformation of its food system to address public health needs, social inequities, and environmental limits, senior officials said during the presentation of the EAT-Lancet Commission report on healthy and sustainable diets at the National Academy of Medicine.

"The E-Lancet monographs have become an international benchmark because they link human health with environmental sustainability and offer quantitative objectives for transforming food systems," says Eduardo Lazcano, Director General, National Institute of Public Health.

During the event, Minister of Health David Kershenobich said the country faces an urgent challenge to redesign food production and consumption with a focus on health, social justice, and planetary boundaries. He highlighted regulatory measures implemented in recent years, including front-of-pack warning labels, school nutrition policies, and fiscal actions aimed at reducing sugary drink consumption. According to Kershenobich, these efforts have shifted purchasing behavior: 38% of consumers have modified their buying decisions, 30.5% selected products with fewer warning seals, and 38.7% reported avoiding labeled items. He said these shifts have pushed the food industry to reformulate products by lowering calories, sodium, saturated fats, and carbohydrates.

For example, recently, PepsiCo announced that it has advanced its global PepsiCo Positive (pep+) strategy in recent years, placing product innovation and consumer well-being at the center of its business model. This approach has translated into ongoing reformulation, new technological development, and stricter internal standards that exceed market requirements. Its stated objective has been to maintain flavor and consumer experience while shifting toward beverages with reduced or zero calories.

Kershenobich also pointed to food waste as a critical issue. In Mexico alone, over 10,000t of food are wasted annually, representing 37% of the country's agricultural production. This waste costs over MX$100 billion (US$5 billion), undermining soil health and contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. If recovered, this wasted food could feed 7.4 million people in Mexico facing extreme poverty and food insecurity. 

Kershenobich added that increasing fruit and vegetable consumption remains a priority. He said the Health Ministry will continue promoting this goal as part of a broader effort to improve dietary patterns nationwide.

Julio Berdegué, Minister of Agriculture, said the discussion around agri-food systems has shifted from whether change is necessary to how it should be achieved. He noted that Mexico is advancing with policies such as the prohibition of 35 pesticides, the National Water Plan, climate projects totaling over MX$1 billion (US$50 million), and the National Native Corn Plan, which seeks to strengthen native varieties and traditional cultivation systems.

President Claudia Sheinbaum recently emphasized that the National Native Corn Plan seeks to support 1.5 million small-scale farmers who cultivate milpas of corn, squash, and beans through the purchase of region-specific equipment that will be collectively accessible. 

Berdegué said the report invites deeper reflection on social justice because agricultural realities differ across regions. Livestock production is concentrated in the vulnerable south-southeast, while horticulture and fruit production are centered in the more stable central-west. He said any national strategy must address these disparities to ensure equitable outcomes.

The report emphasizes the need to advance toward systems that provide healthy, accessible, and equitable food produced within planetary limits, says Juan Rivera, Member, EAT-Lancet Commission.

The event convened national and international experts in nutrition, health, agriculture, and economics. Both ministers argued that Mexico must accelerate efforts to build a fairer and more sustainable food system grounded in scientific evidence.