Today’s Solutions: July 26, 2024

Future generations from the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca may steer clear of obesity-related health issues, thanks to a new law passed by state officials, banning the sale of junk food and sugary drinks to children, in an attempt to reduce high obesity and diabetes levels.

Oaxaca is the first state to take the measure in Mexico, which has one of the world’s highest rates of childhood obesity. About 73 percent of the Mexican population is overweight, compared to one-fifth of the population in 1996, according to a study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

The move comes as Mexico’s number of deaths linked to COVID-19 nears 50,000, and with experts claiming that people who are obese or overweight are at greater risk of serious illness or death from the virus.

Public health officials and lawmakers inside the Congress have welcomed with applause the new legislation, which forbids the sale, distribution, and promotion of sugary drinks and junk food to those under age. It will also apply to vending machines in schools.

Christian Skoog, the Unicef representative in Mexico, approved the new law, saying that such measures protected children’s rights to quality and nutritious food.

Solutions News Source Print this article
More of Today's Solutions

7 proven health benefits of ginger

For centuries, scientists have written extensively about ginger and its healing properties. This odd-looking root has been found to do everything from promoting healthy ...

Read More

Health data policies need to come into play

As technology's power and influence have grown astonishingly in the past 20 years, no one was prepared for its implications down the line. Data ...

Read More

3 expert-approved ways to deal with middle-of-the-night sleeplessness

We’ve all been there— lying awake in the middle of the night with nothing to keep us company except anxious thoughts and preoccupations like, ...

Read More

The future of sustainable fashion: self-healing mushroom-based leather

The environmental impact of the fashion industry has become an increasing worry in a society where fast fashion has been the standard. But there ...

Read More