Mexico Adopts Stringent School Food Rules to Combat Obesity

Mexican health officials have reportedly unveiled stringent guidelines that would prohibit the sale of processed or fried foods on school grounds. According to media sources, the regulations would ban soft drinks and other sugar-sweetened beverages along with more traditional fare such as meat tortas, tamarind candy and atole, unless they were reformulated to meet nutritional guidelines. The school vendors and cooperatives that often function in lieu of cafeterias would be limited to serving low-calorie food and beverages such as bottled water, low-fat milk and 100 percent fruit juices.

Meanwhile, Secretary of Public Education Alonso Lujambio has also pledged to incentivize healthier fare at the food stalls outside schools at closing time. If approved by the Federal Regulatory Improvement Commission, the rules will take effect for 220,000 public and private schools in August 2010. See The Guardian, Secretaría de Salud Press Release and The Associated Press, May 27, 2010.