MEXICO CITY (AP) — Schools in Mexico have six months to implement a government-sponsored ban on junk food or face heavy fines, officials said Monday, as authorities confront what they call the worst childhood obesity problem in the world. The rules, published on Sept. 30, target products that have become staples for two or three generations of Mexican school kids: sugary fruit drinks, chips, artificial pork rinds and soy-encased, salty peanuts with chili.
School administrators who violate the order will face fines equivalent to between $545 and $5,450, which could double for a second offense. That could amount to nearly a year’s wages for some. Mexico's children have the highest consumption of junk food in Latin America and many get 40% of their total caloric intake from it, according to the U.
N. children’s agency, which has called child obesity there an emergency. Authorities say about one-third of Mexico's children are overweight or obese.
Previous attempts to implement laws against junk food have met with little success. A survey of over 10,000 schools carried out between 2023 and 2024 found that junk food was available in 98% of them, with sugary drinks in 95% and soft drinks in 79%. Ads for junk food were found in 25% of schools.
New President Claudia Sheinbaum said Monday that schools will have to offer water fountains and alternative snacks, like bean tacos. “It is much better to eat a bean taco than a bag of potato chips,” Sheinbaum said. “It is much bette.
