Soda Tax May Offer Viable Solutions for Mexico's Climbing Obesity Rate Sarah Hollis - Food Tank | |
go to original February 6, 2016 |
Mexico 's new tax is slated to make a difference. (The Lempert Report)
Mexico has the highest rate of overweight or obese adults in the world, and an estimated 10 million Mexicans have diabetes. The country also happens to have the highest per capita consumption of soda, amounting to 70 percent of the total added sugars consumed by the average Mexican, according to a report in The New York Times. Recent research reveals that the Soda Tax passed into law in 2014, may reduce the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages in the country.
Mexico’s “soda tax” was passed in 2014 as part of a larger effort to lower the rate of obesity and the occurrence of diabetes in the country. Under the legislation, sugar-sweetened beverages (except milk and yogurt) are subject to a tax of 1 peso per liter.
Researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Mexican National Institute of Public Health looked at purchasing patterns in more than 6,000 households in 53 large cities, publishing their findings earlier this month in the journal BMJ. Researchers identified a 6 percent decrease in the sale of sugary beverages in 2014, which gradually climbed to 12 percent by December 2014. Lower socio-economic groups showed the highest decrease in consumption, at 17 percent, but purchases went down among all socio-economic groups. There was also a 4 percent increase in bottled water sales.
The International Business Journal reports that Mexico’s largest soft drink bottler, Coca-Cola Femsa, saw a 6.4 percent drop in sales in the first six months of 2014, while Arca-Continental, another Coca-Cola bottler in Mexico saw a 4.7 percent decrease in the first half of 2014, compared to that period in 2013.
The success of the soda tax may just be part of a growing trend toward healthier eating and more conscious consumption. A Gallup poll in August 2015 in the United States showed that at least 6 in 10 adults are trying to steer clear of soda in their diets, and about half of those surveyed were avoiding sugar and fat. If the soda tax in Mexico continues to show reduced levels of consumption, other countries could seek to pass similar legislation, and consumers around the world may be less and less likely to turn away.
Read the rest at Food Tank
We invite you to add your charity or supporting organizations' news stories and coming events to PVAngels so we can share them with the world. Do it now!
From activities like hiking, swimming, bike riding and yoga, to restaurants offering healthy menus, Vallarta-Nayarit is the ideal place to continue - or start - your healthy lifestyle routine.