(ED-This is an interesting press release from the president of Mexico, who has pledged to reduce potato and sugar use in the country in six months.)
The Constitutional President of the United Mexican States, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, presented the new guidelines and actions for healthy living in schools - which must come into force no later than March 29, 2025 - through which she seeks to prevent children and young people from having access to junk food in and around educational centers.
“There are 180 days for the regulations to be introduced, for them to be mandatory. What will be done? Well, an educational process, of training, of information, so that in the school cooperatives it is known: it is much better to eat a taco of beans than a bag of potatoes; it is much better to eat a hibiscus water than a soft drink, it has a lot of sugar, it is bad for your health,” she informed in the morning conference “Las mañaneras del pueblo” (The mornings of the people).
She pointed out that during the implementation of these new guidelines, the objective is not only to promote healthy eating in schools, but also to encourage parents to join this strategy.
“It's not that parents are going to be punished, but to the extent that we educate, train and educate, parents will not send junk food to their children at midday and what is sold in the cooperatives will be healthy food.”
The Secretary of Public Education, Mario Delgado Carrillo, recalled that these guidelines were published on September 30 by the former head of the SEP, Leticia Ramírez Amaya, and the former Secretary of Health, Jorge Carlos Alcocer Varela, at which time the 180-day period begins for the 258,689 basic, high school and higher education schools of the National Education System to comply with the new provisions.
She explained that these provisions on healthy eating for schools consist of preventing the sale of ultra-processed foods with low nutritional value—which are those products that have the labels—in school spaces; guaranteeing access to drinking water by building drinking fountains; training those responsible for school cooperatives; implementing a communication strategy for teachers, mothers and fathers, school management staff, cooperative leaders, as well as for girls and boys; strengthening the Healthy Living axis in the New Mexican School; teaching courses and diplomas for teachers; promoting sports activities; and establishing monitoring and evaluation processes.
She stated that the need to strengthen this strategy is due to the fact that, although there are already guidelines to promote healthy eating, they are not usually followed; proof of this are the results of the monitoring carried out in the 2023-2024 school year: 98 percent of schools continue to sell junk food; 95 percent of sugary drinks; 79 percent, soft drinks; 77 percent record external sales of junk food; and 25 percent have advertising for these products.
She highlighted that the latest National Health and Nutrition Survey (Ensanut) 2020-2023), reported that 5.7 million students aged 5 to 11 are obese, as are 10.4 million aged 12 to 19.
“The neoliberal model turned rights such as education, health and food into merchandise. Among the 100 points presented by President Claudia Sheinbaum, there is a very important one that encompasses these actions: turning schools into spaces for promoting a healthy life; that is, the fight against obesity, overweight, the prevention of addictions, oral health, mental health, visual health and promoting physical activity in sports.”
She reported on the progress of the delivery of the new universal scholarship “Rita Cetina,” aimed at students from preschool to high school in public schools, for which assemblies have been held in 7,000 of the 35,000 high schools in which more than 1.2 million teachers, parents and families participated to disseminate this new Program for Well-being, which will deliver 1,900 pesos, plus 700 pesos for each additional child.
The Secretary of Welfare, Ariadna Montiel Reyes, reported that from October 21 to November 15, the hiring of 22,496 health professionals is taking place - who must have official identification, proof of studies, CURP and a hiring application - for the House to House Health program; they will provide medical care to senior citizens in their homes, deliver Health Cards and link with other levels of care.
She reported that, as part of the new Wellbeing Programs, since the census began on October 7, 568,896 visits have been made, in which 502,939 older adults and 65,957 people with disabilities have been registered, with the support of 18,851 public servants; she also reported that 704,947 women from rural and metropolitan areas have already registered for the Women's Wellbeing Pension, through the 2,600 modules available throughout the country.