2023-11-14 11:54:24
In Latin America, governments are mobilizing to create laws intended to improve the public health of the population. After countries like Chile and Mexico, Colombia created a tax on ultra-processed food products and sugary drinks which has applied since November 1. In Mexico, a tax on sugar has existed since 2014. The country is a pioneer in the fight once morest diabetes and for good reason. It is estimated that 12.4 million Mexicans suffer from this disease.
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From our correspondent in Mexico,
Since November 1, sugary drinks and ultra-processed foods such as sausages, cereals, sodas and energy drinks are more expensive in Colombia. Mexico has applied a tax on sodas and juices for almost ten years and it was reassessed last year: it is now 1.5 pesos per liter. And sales of these sugar-laden drinks have declined – between 6 and 8%, according to a study conducted in the first two years following the law took effect. We observe that the effect is even stronger in the working social classes. Quite simply because the price of these drinks is passed on to the consumer and it is more economical to buy water.
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Thus, Mexico has adopted a whole package of measures intended to limit the consumption of fatty and sugary products which increase the risk of diseases. For example, there is a system of black labels on all packaging, they warn when a product contains excess sugar, salt or fat. archyde news characters aimed at children are banned and have disappeared from cereal packets or from sweets.
In the absence of diagnostics
Yet Mexicans continue to have diabetes in increasing numbers. According to the government, almost 2 in 10 people suffer from this disease, more than in UNITED STATES. There is a problem right from the diagnosis: the International Diabetes Federation estimates that one in two Mexicans who have high blood sugar levels are not aware that they have diabetes. The health system in Mexico is also to blame. A majority of the population does not have access to basic healthcare. The system is failing and has deteriorated significantly since the pandemic.
And even though the Mexican government is implementing most of the WHO recommendations and the consumption of certain products has decreased a little, there is still much to do. In 2018, according to an American study, Mexico was still the main consumer of sugary drinks among the 25 most populous countries.
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Agro-food multinationals without faith or law
The Mexican state is confronting multinationals and large agri-food companies who are doing everything they can to sell their processed products, which are high in fat and sugar and are often inexpensive. The latter, to protect their interests, are fighting with great resources to limit or delay this or that measure. This is the case of the system of warning labels on packaging which was only put in place in 2020, 10 years following its adoption.
Another example, tobacco: despite the entry into force of a law which prohibits the presentation of packets on the shelves, several large store chains do not respect it. And they embarked on a legal crusade to overturn it. As a result, products harmful to health are still widely consumed and manufacturers have no problem deceiving consumers, as with a 2019 campaign from a Coca Cola brand which praised the effects of sugar on the health of athletes. .
According to the government, diabetes is the third leading cause of death in the country with around 100,000 people dying each year.
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