For primary and secondary school students in Mexico, lunchtime has taken on a new meaning. Soft drinks, processed snacks, fried chips and even tacos are missing from the school menus.
Keen on conquering an ever-rising obesity problem in Mexico, the federal government has turned many forms of junk food into contraband with legislation earlier this year.
Citing a 40 percent decrease in fruit consumption and a 50 percent increase in soda consumption, Mexican health minister Jose Angel Cordova is adamant in his mission to change Mexico’s status as the second fattest nation in the world — second only to the United States.
While it is too early to understand the long-term implications of Mexico’s fight against obesity, the environment of the country’s schools is already changing.
Some children are accepting their new diets and enjoying the ham sandwiches and fruit packed into their lunch kits. But not everyone is satisfied.
Junk food vendors line up at the gates of Mexican schools, ready to push their edibles on children who are either upset with their school’s new food choices or too young to say no to temptation.
With an obesity rate of 26.4 percent in the U.S., we have implemented such policies before.
In 2001, former California Gov. Gray Davis signed a bill outlawing the sale of junk food on elementary and middle school campuses. Legislation by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger added high schools to the list in 2005.
Unlike Mexico, California’s policy does not regulate food brought from home. Therefore, some children have become “sugar pushers,” stuffing sweets and other goods into their school bags for resale.
Even more disconcerting, statistics compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show the percentage of those obese in California has remained relatively unchanged between 2001-2009 — hovering around 20 to 24 percent.
As these results are far from laudable, some have dismissed California and Mexico’s attempts to control obesity as the unwanted product of nanny state legislation.
However, America’s growing obesity problem will not solve itself, and it would be reckless for our federal government to sit idle while our country suffers.
Defined as possessing a body mass index of more than 30, obesity has often been linked to heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some types of cancer. The direct and indirect health care costs of obesity were estimated to be as high as $147 billion by the CDC in 2009.
Fortunately, the Obama administration has finally taken a stance against obesity through Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! program. Her initiative focuses on the incorporation of nutritional and physical education into the classroom, the creation of School Health Advisory Councils and the employment of nutrition-savvy chefs at public schools
Her campaign against obesity highlights the intrinsic failure of both Mexico and California’s junk food policies — they began in the educational system but blindly banned certain foods without dutifully explaining the rationale to the children involved.
If children are not taught why they are subject to such rules and regulations, they will never develop the fundamental decision-making skills that will help stave off obesity throughout adulthood.
Otherwise, students will find themselves in negatively charged environments in which the fast food peddling vendors are a more welcome sight than the “healthy” lunches bagged by their parents.
Primary school campuses should strictly adhere to the ban in tandem with nutritional courses, while bans should be lifted or lax in secondary schools.
In this manner, children aged 5 to 10 who have poor decision-making skills can begin secondary education with an arsenal of knowledge as they enter the cafeteria or eat at home, rather than just being told what to do.
Without an emphasis on education, the obesity crisis will continue to be a problem for years to come.
Chris Freyder is a 21-year-old biological sciences junior from New Orleans. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_Cfreyder.
 
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Contact Chris Freyder at [email protected]