Mexico City, Mexico — With a unanimous 494 votes in favor of, the Plenary of the Chamber of Deputies approved to prohibit the sell of junk food to minors. The amended law will make the free distribution, sale and supply of products called “junk food ” illegal to minors in all primary and secondary schools, within both the public and private school sectors.
To enforce the law, Mexico will reform section VIII of article 50 of the General Law on the Rights of Girls, Boys and Adolescents.
It means that “within the obligations of the federal authorities, the federative entities, the municipalities and the territorial demarcations of Mexico City, is to prohibit by any means the free distribution, sale and supply of sugary drinks and packaged foods of high caloric content to minors in public and private educational institutions of basic education, as well as the sale through automatic distributors or vending machines of these products within said institutions.”
Deputy Ana Lilia Herrera Anzaldo, a member of the Education Commission, stated that the objective of the reform is to prevent and combat childhood obesity and promote healthy eating habits.
“Remember that three out of four adults in Mexico are overweight or obese, so it is necessary to prevent it from childhood. Mexico is the second country with the highest rate of obesity among the members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
“We know that the approval of this opinion is far from being a comprehensive solution to combat chronic and acute malnutrition, however, future generations will benefit,” she said.