Mexico is looking to battle the bulging waistlines of its children by banning the sale of junk food in its schools, including many of the traditional treats generations of kids have grown up with.
Getting the ax along with modern soft drinks and sweets will be salted tamarind candy, pork rinds and atole, the thick and sweet cornstarch-based beverage served piping hot in the morning.
The anti-obesity guidelines presented by health and education officials on Wednesday make recommendations that at times seem more suited for a Manhattan salad bar than a Mexican schoolyard.
Tortas — the often overstuffed, greasy, meat-packed sandwiches popular in Mexico — are out, unless they are “light” versions such as beans, avocado and cheese, or chicken and vegetables. Only low-fat tacos, burritos and salads will be allowed.
The Health Department says it hopes to have the rules in place when the next school year starts in August. The guidelines would cover all 220,000 public and private elemenatry and junior-high schools serving 25 million students. The rules must still be approved by experts and a review committee.
Mexican President Felipe Calderon began an anti-obesity campaign in January, saying the incidence of obesity among youngsters has tripled over the last three decades.
“Unfortunately, we are the country with the biggest problem of childhood obesity in the entire world,” he said.
About 4.5 million Mexican children between the ages of five and 11 are overweight. About 26 percent of all Mexican children are overweight.
Experts say one reason obesity has accelerated is the invasion of US-style soft drinks and snack foods. While schoolchildren once ate fruit sprinkled with lime and salt, and drank fruit juices, those harder-to-prepare foods are being displaced by prepackaged foods.
The problem is compounded because some of Mexico’s population of 107 million have a genetic tendency to develop diabetes.
Mexican schools usually don’t have cafeterias. So, for decades, children have swarmed around vendors — school employees, cooperatives or food stand operators — who sell sweets and other goodies on the school grounds.
Under the new guidelines only water, unsweetened but flavored water, or pure fruit juices will be sold in schools. No soft drinks or sugary fruit drinks, and only low-fat milk, will be allowed.
Salvador Torres is the head comptroller of the Pascual Cooperative, which produces a classic schoolyard drink, the sugary, fruit-based Boing! He says he was a bit disconcerted by the new rules.
“Children want sweet stuff ... Kids are not going to stop asking for it,” he said.
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