Mexico announced that it has banned all high-calorie food and soft drink commercials from terrestrial and cable TV in an attempt to combat the growing obesity trend.
According to the press release, the restrictions will be into effect immediately but it will not be a round-the-clock ban. Government officials say the junk food and soda commercial ban will be in effect from 2:30 pm to 7:30 pm on weekdays and from 7:30 am to 7:30 pm on weekends. Similar restrictions will also be imposed on advertisements shown at movie theaters.
The health ministry said the new ban would affect about 40 percent of commercials for soft drinks and sugar-laced goods. Only food and drink products that “meet nutritional standards,” will air during the restricted airtime.
Proponents of the restrictions say the obesity epidemic in Mexico is getting out of hand. According to official figures, 70 percent of adults and 30 percent of children in Mexico are obese or overweight.
Not The First, Won’t Be The Last
Mexico is taking great strides to combat childhood obesity, but they are hardly the first nation to ban unhealthy commercials from television. The United Kingdom, Norway and some provinces in Canada have banned junk food advertising from children’s television programming.
While they’re not the first to ban junk food commercials, Mexico’s restrictions may do more good than most. Instead of simply banning junk food and soda commercials from programming aimed at children, Mexico is banning all unhealthy ads during the time periods when most children watch TV, including a 12-hour ban on the weekends. This means advertisers won’t simply be able to move their ads from SpongeBob Squarepants to a more family orientated show like Modern Family unless it runs later in the evening.
Dr. Silverman comments
This is a wonderful move by Mexico. The country has one of the highest incidence rates of diabetes, which is brought on by a poor diet. They need to make healthy changes.
I can’t say that it will completely reverse Mexico’s obesity epidemic, but it certainly has to move the needle in the right direction. The whole world will be watching, and if the program is a success, I would be shocked if other countries didn’t institute similar regulations.
Related source: BBC
