| | |  Health & Beauty 
Mexico Health Committee: Schools Must Give Boot to Junk Food
 Víctor Mayén - The News
go to original
April 05, 2010
 |  | Six million teenagers and 4.5 million children between 5 and 11 are obese or overweight.
- Federal Health Secretariat |  | | |
Mexico City – The Senate’s Health Committee is seeking the cancellation of concessions to education authorities and service providers who do not comply with rules that would crack down on junk food in schools.
Proposals to the Regulation on Educational Cooperatives would ban junk food and soft drinks from being sold in primary and secondary schools. Cooperatives are small stores or cafeterias that sell food to students on school property.
The committee says its goal is to curb obesity and excess weight among elementary school children, since the Federal Health Secretariat (Ssa) estimates that childhood obesity rises 1.1 percent each year.
Six million teenagers and 4.5 million children between 5 and 11 are obese or overweight, while 70 percent of adults are overweight or obese, according to the Ssa. Since 1980, the number of overweight or obese Mexicans has tripled.
Proposed legislation to the Regulation, which consists of 95 articles and five provisional items, requires that cooperatives display posters, signs and messages in visible places that include nutritional information, suggestions on the amount of food that should be eaten and recommendations on what to eat and drink.
In addition, school staff will be required to promote healthy eating habits and the preparation and packing of healthy lunches among students and parents.
Schools would also have to reject food and beverage companies’ and vendors’ offers to improve school infrastructure in exchange for allowing them to sell products on school grounds.
Under the proposals, if cooperatives are found selling junk food, penalties would range from a fine to cancellation of contract and dismissal.
National Action Party (PAN) Sen. Ernesto Saro Boardman, president of the Health Committee, said that the proposed changes to cooperatives fall in line with the laws of the Constitution and the General Education Law.
The capital’s Legislative Assembly (ALDF) is also calling on the Public Education Secretariat (SEP) to ban junk food and soft drinks on school grounds.
Governance Committee Secretary Aleida Alavéz, Health Committee President Maricela Contreras and Dep. Maricela Contreras said over the weekend that they hope the regulations are passed and take effect by the 2010-2011 school year.
Instead of selling soda, schools would have to install potable-water stations, and schools would have to provide healthy food instead of high-caloric products. |
|
| |
Vallarta Weddings
Tell a Friend
Site Map
Print this Page
Email Us