Mexico bans junk food in schools to fight childhood obesity epidemic

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - MEXICO CITY — A sweeping junk food ban in Mexican schools came into effect on Saturday, marking the country's latest and most ambitious move to combat one of the highest childhood obesity rates in the world.

The policy, backed by the government and widely supported by parents, prohibits the sale of salty and sugary processed snacks in public and private schools nationwide.

The ban targets items like fruit-flavored sugary drinks, packaged chips, artificial pork rinds, and chili-flavored peanuts — long-standing staples in school snack culture.

“Farewell, junk food!” declared the Ministry of Education on X, as it confirmed that the guidelines, first introduced last year, are now law. It urged parents to support the campaign by preparing healthy meals at home.

“One of the core principles of the new Mexican school system is healthy living,” said Public Health Secretary Mario Delgado. “There’s a high level of acceptance of this policy among parents.”

The ban is part of a larger effort by President Claudia Sheinbaum’s government to “reprogram” Mexico’s food culture and reduce the alarming rates of obesity and diabetes — diseases that have plagued the country for decades.

Under the new rules, schools are required to remove all food and beverages displaying even a single black warning label — Mexico’s front-of-package alert for high sugar, salt, calorie, or fat content. The labeling system has been mandatory since 2020.

Instead of processed snacks, schools are now expected to serve healthier alternatives such as bean tacos and provide access to plain drinking water. “It is much better to eat a bean taco than a bag of potato chips,” said Sheinbaum, one of the main advocates of the new initiative.

According to UNICEF, Mexican children consume more junk food than their peers anywhere else in Latin America, with ultra-processed snacks and sugary drinks making up 40% of their daily calorie intake. The agency has classified the country's childhood obesity rates as an emergency.

One-third of Mexican children are already classified as overweight or obese, official statistics show.

Parents have welcomed the change. “At my daughter’s school, they told us that future activities wouldn’t have candy — it would be completely different, with fruit, vegetables and healthy food,” said Aurora Martínez, a mother of two. “It will help us a lot.”

However, enforcement may prove challenging. Schools that fail to comply with the new policy face fines ranging from $545 to $5,450. Still, Mexico’s 255,000 schools often lack the basic infrastructure — including water fountains and electricity — to support nutrition reforms, and previous junk food bans have struggled due to limited monitoring.

Another obstacle is the informal economy: vendors selling candy and snacks outside school gates. Authorities have yet to announce how the policy will be enforced beyond school property.

“It will be difficult,” said child therapist Abril Geraldine Rose de León. “But it will be achieved in the long run.” — Agencies