In an effort to combat what officials are calling the worst childhood obesity crisis in the world, the Mexican government has announced a ban on junk food in schools, giving them six months to comply or face substantial penalties. This initiative targets popular items such as sugary fruit drinks, chips, artificial pork rinds, and chili-spiced peanuts, which have been dietary staples for generations of Mexican children.
School administrators ignoring the new rules will incur fines ranging from $545 to $5,450, with penalties potentially doubling for repeat offenses—amounting to nearly a year’s wages for some. The UN children’s agency reports that Mexico leads Latin America in junk food consumption, with children deriving up to 40% of their total caloric intake from these products. Alarmingly, around one-third of Mexican children are classified as overweight or obese.
Previous efforts to regulate junk food in schools have largely failed. A recent survey revealed that junk food is available in 98% of schools, with sugary drinks present in 95% of them and soft drinks in 79%. Additionally, advertisements for junk food were found in 25% of schools.
President Claudia Sheinbaum emphasized the importance of healthier alternatives, stating, “It is much better to eat a bean taco than a bag of potato chips. It is much better to drink hibiscus flower water than soda.” However, most of Mexico’s 255,000 schools lack free drinking water—a critical resource for promoting healthier choices. A 2020 report indicated that only about 4% of schools had successfully installed drinking fountains.
In the past, Mexico introduced front-of-package warning labels on food products to alert consumers about high levels of salt, sugar, calories, and saturated fats. Under the new regulations, any food item bearing even one of these warning labels must be removed from school snack stands.
Questions remain regarding the government’s ability to enforce this ban, particularly outside school grounds, where vendors typically sell snacks to students during breaks. A staggering 77% of schools surveyed reported having such vendors nearby.
