Mexico: Entangled anti-obesity efforts

Despite new regulations that ban the sale of unhealthy foods in schools, many high-sugar and high-fat offerings are still available to students. When government officials decided to regulate what could be sold in schools in 2010, special interests, led by Mexico's snack food companies, partnered with regulators in the Ministry of the Economy and forced the initial regulations to be watered down. Despite these setbacks, the new regulations went into place at the beginning of 2011. However, the regulations focus on what can be sold in schools and local street vendors push unhealthy foods to students once they head home for the day. Officials do believe the new regulations prove some success - 90% of fried foods are banned from sale in schools. Recent government estimates cite that one in three children in Mexico is overweight or obese. New York Times.
http://nyti.ms/dMzByz

Date Posted: 15 March 2011