Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Supported by

Health Advocates Cheer Initial Results Of Mexico’s Soda Tax

  Clinic number 27 in Tijuana is the biggest family medicine clinic in Mexico. A full 30 percent of workers in this border city — and their families — come here when they have a cold or joint pain. But the most common ailments, said clinic director Alonso Perez, are related to diabetes.

“That's basically one of the critical diseases we have here,” Perez said. “Obesity and diabetes are rising, their complications are rising, and every day it's from younger patients.”

Sponsor Message

Thirty percent of Mexico’s school children and 70 percent of adults are overweight or obese. In recent years, the country has competed with the U.S. for the unflattering title of fattest country in the world.

Diabetes in Mexico has increased along with its citizens’ waistlines. Excess weight and lack of exercise fuel Type 2 diabetes, the most common kind. 

In hopes of stemming what’s become a public health crisis, Mexico slapped a one peso per liter tax— about 7 cents — on sugary drinks starting last January. It also added an 8 percent tax to high-caloric food like potato chips and cookies.

Jill Replogle, Fronteras Reporter
Copyright 2015 KNPR-FM. To see more, visit http://www.knpr.org/.

Sponsor Message