Mexico’s Tax on Junk Food Works (Kinda)!

In an effort to combat escalating rates of diabetes in Mexico, the Mexican government enstated an 8% tax on fatty and sugary foods in January 2014. Now, according to a study published yesterday by the National Institute of Public Health in Mexico, sales of junk food are in decline.

The largest decrease in taxed, high-calorie purchases was found in low and medium secioeconomic households (10.2% and 5.8% respectively), which seems logical given that families with little to no expendable income would not choose to continue purchasing junk food given the added expense. Though this decrease is small, the Mexican government hopes it is a sign of significant changes to come. Since 2013, Mexico’s obesity rate has surpassed even that of the United States, likely due to a lack of health education and prevalence of the inexpensive junk food that this tax targets.