Mexican state bans the sale of sweets and fizzy drinks to children
Hannah Strange
August 07 2020 02:30 AM
Sweet treats and fizzy drinks are off the menu for children in southern Mexico, after the state of Oaxaca passed the world's strictest ban on the sale of junk food.
The measure could see shops closed down for selling sugary beverages or processed snacks to anyone under the age of 18, while repeat offenders could be jailed.
Mexico has struggled with high rates of obesity and diabetes - two major risk factors for the coronavirus, which has hit the country hard. Fatalities are now approaching 50,000, the third highest death toll in the world.
Oaxaca ranks as one of Mexico's poorest states and has the nation's highest rate of childhood obesity and second highest rate of adult obesity.
That is a particularly unwelcome mantle in a country where almost three quarters of the population are overweight and which consumes more carbonated drinks per person than any other in the world.
More:
https://www.independent.ie/world-news/north-america/mexican-state-bans-the-sale-of-sweets-and-fizzy-drinks-to-children-39430205.html