Junk Food Ban Takes Effect in Mexican Schools

Part of the Mexican government’s Healthy Living initiative, the ban on junk food in schools aims to foster healthier eating habits among students, with soft drinks, processed snacks, and sugary beverages now prohibited in school cafeterias. Foods flagged with black warning labels for high salt, sugar, or fat content, a system established in the country in 2020, must also be phased out. Instead, schools are encouraged to offer healthier alternatives like fruits, legumes, whole grains, and minimally processed animal products.

The decision to enforce the ban is a response to Mexico’s severe childhood obesity crisis, with nearly 37 percent of children between 5 and 11 years old now classified as obese. President Claudia Sheinbaum and other government officials have strongly advocated for the new guidelines, emphasizing the importance of simple, nutritious meals like bean tacos over snacks like chips and soda.

To read how Mexico’s lower house of Congress recently approved a constitutional reform to ban the planting of genetically modified (GM) corn, see this news story on our website.