The Secretary of Public Education (SEP), Mario Delgado, presented the strategy 'Healthy Life' on Monday, a program aimed at improving the diet of Mexican students and banning the sale of 'junk food' in schools. According to the Secretary, during his intervention in the morning government conference, the actions of this strategy are summarized in four fundamental points. These include preventing the sale of ultra-processed foods in school spaces, promoting the consumption of natural water, training those responsible for schools in healthy nutrition, and generating communication of good practices in nutrition, in addition to encouraging sports activities.
As Delgado mentioned, on September 30, Secretary of Education Leticia RamÃrez and Secretary of Health Jorge Alcocer published an agreement to promote food health in schools. The official announced that by March 29, 2025, it will be mandatory for all schools in the national education system at all three levels: basic, upper secondary, and higher education.
According to data from the Secretary of Health shared by the Secretary, in 98% of schools, poor-quality food is still sold, 95% offer sugary drinks, and in almost eight out of ten, soft drinks are sold. Data from the national health and nutrition survey indicate that there are 5.7 million students with obesity or overweight problems between the ages of 5 and 11 and 10.4 million students between the ages of 12 and 19.
The Education official of Claudia Sheinbaum's Government highlighted that this situation is the result of high sugar consumption, lack of physical activity, and the food policies of previous governments. Delgado mentioned that the program is part of the 100-point program presented by President Sheinbaum with the goal of transforming schools into spaces that promote a healthy life.
For her part, Sheinbaum reiterated the importance of promoting healthy eating for everyone from an early age with a strong educational campaign. It was emphasized that this is not about banning these foods in general, but only in schools, and promoting the consumption of more natural products.
