El País: The Coca-Cola Addiction of Mexico’s Indigenous Population

A cold, sweet beverage is refreshing for those who labor on farms, but too many empty calories can contribute to obesity and diabetes. “In the indigenous community of the Mazahuas in San José del Rincón, a wooded village in western Mexico state, there are homes without running water but with a bottle of soda sitting permanently on the dinner table,” reports David Marcial Pérez for El País and he describes workers who drink 3 liters of soda a day. “The Mazahua people are abandoning their millenary diet based on pulses and vegetables, and increasingly adopting junk food.” The nearest health center is an hour’s walk away and university students visited the village to provide testing. Seven out of 10 Mexican adults are obese and at risk for diabetes which leads to serious medical conditions including blindness. Confronting the public health crisis, Mexico like other countries has imposed a tax on high-sugar drinks. The UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food urges policies that prioritize healthy food over processed junk food and investment in wells for drinking water. – YaleGlobal