Mexicans reduced their purchases of sugary beverages by 6 percent following implementation of a one-peso-per-liter tax on sugar-sweetened beverages such as soda, according to a study by the Mexican National Institute of Public Health and the University of North Carolina. The tax was the equivalent of a 10-percent increase in the price of sugary drinks, says the Nutritional Health Alliance. The alliance called on the government to use revenue from the tax to fund obesity-prevention projects, such as installation of public drinking fountains. Consumption of sugary drinks grew by 60 percent per capita in Mexico from 1989 to 2006, with an annual intake of 163 liters per person, says the alliance.
“As one of the first countries to pass a tax on SSBs, Mexico’s experience provides key lessons for advocates interested in pursuing policy change in cities, states, and countries around the world,” says the study. It says one-third of Mexico’s children are overweight or obese, as are seven of every 10 adults – “one of the highest obesity prevalence rates in the world.”