World Congress 2011 Consumers International.

World Congress 2011Consumers International.

Food hazards in the 21st century in Mexico

World Congress 2011Consumers International.

Mexico

Some general statistics

population 107,431,230

.

México is located between the United States and Central America“so far from God and so close to the United States”

Porfirio Diaz

México

Mexico is a culturally mega diverse country with 60 linguistic communities

Its biological and cultural diversity has located Mexico like one of the 11 origin centers of the most important crops of the world

The “Milpa” or Maize Field

Unlike other regions of the world that had as a food base the cultivation of a grain, in Mesoamerica there was the development of a more complex agricultural system called

Milpa that maintained an ecological and nutritional equilibrium

In 14 years the spending of the population in fruits and vegetables dropped 30% and the spending in soft drinks increased 40%

Changes in the Eating Habits

Nutrition HealthThe Mexican infancy occupies the first place of overweight and obesity in

the international scale

Second place of adults with obesity

In only 7 years the increase of cases with overweight and obesity among children from 5 to 7 years of age was of 39.7% (1999 -2006)

Comparative of the national prevalence of overweight and obesity in population of 5 to 7 years of age acording to the National Nutrition Survey (ENN) 1999 and the National Health Survey (ENSANUT) 2006, by

sex, according to the criteria proposed bye the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF). México

Women from 12 to 49 years of age

1988 1999 2006

This has been the most accelerated growth of overweight and obesity worldwideBetween1999 y 2006, only 7 years, the average waist circumference in these

women increased more than 10 centimetres

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

1988 1999 2006

16.430.8 36.9

18.7

21.7

32.4

Obesidad

Sobrepeso

70

80

90

100

110

120

130

140

150

160

80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98

Heart Attacks

High Blood Pressure

Diabetes

Cirrhosis

Cerebral Vascular Disease

The epidemic of obesity and its consequences in morbidity

Costs due to overweight and obesity: the financial crisis of the health care system

-

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

2000 2010 2020 2030

35,000 67,000

160,000

306,000

Millones de pesosMillions of pesos

The Causes

“the epidemic of obesity it is not anymore the result of the sum of bad individual habits; it´s the

consecuence of an obesigenic enviroment that promotes it, meaning, that produces obesity

Number of commercials per hour on TV during childrens programs

Total adds

Junk food adds

México*AustraliaUnited StatesUnited KingdomGermanyFinlandDenmarkBelgiumAustriaSwedenNorway

32-

24171412124420

11.25-

11106652110

Sweet, fatty food advertising

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

0 50 100 150 200 250

Number of adverts / 20 hoursP

revale

nce (

%)

overw

eig

ht

Association between numbers of adverts for sweet and fatty foods shown on children’s television and the prevalence of overweight children in the population

Seven EU countries, USA and Australia

Correlation r=+0.86, p<0.005

Lobstein and Dibb, Obesity Reviews (6) 2005

Number of junk food commercials per hour in TV and its incidence in children´s overweight and obesity

The Schools: obesigenic enviroment

Children between 1 to 5 years of age present only 5% of overweight. At the begining of elementary school, meaning 6 years old, there´s 25% of overweight and with the children of 11 to 12 years it increases to 33%, which is at the end of elementary.

The Schools: obesigenic enviroment

By the time children get out of school, with breakfast and what they eat at school, they´ve eaten around 1,000 calories; and they still need to eat their lunch meal and dinner.

52

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Primaria Secundaria

The standard food hazard of industrialized food

Addictive composition

The combination of high levels of sugar, grease and salt produce addiction, a very well known aspect by the industry that they call “the three points of the compass”. This addictive character can be considered the biggest problem we are confronting when it comes to the composition of industrialized food.

Chemical composition

The growth of scientific evidence of the impact in children´s behavior that is caused by the different artificial food dyes as well as the carcinogen potential of other colorants show the damage that the exposure to this synthetic additive cocktail can be generating; among the products aimed to children, the exposure and damage is a lot higher.

.

Examples of some products that have synthetic additives that are associated with damage in children´s behavior and with cancer

Products with colorants associated with ADHD

• Yogurt Dan up strawberry

• Pineapple fruit bar

• Strawberry cookies “sponch”

• Candy Pulpa Toons

• Crazy Dipps

• Tama Roca

• Chettos

• Froot Loops cereal

• Choco Crispis cereal

• Nesquick cereal

• Sun chips banana´s with chile

• Candy “panditas”

Products with carcogenic colorant

Caramel IV

• Aguita pureza apple flavor of Bonafont

• Aguita pureza grape flavor of Bonafont

• Water with extract of Jamaica of Bonafont

• Be light Jamaica flavor

• Pepsi cola

• Coca cola

There are THOUSANDS of products aimed to children that have these synthetic additives

There are THOUSANDS of products aimed to children that have these synthetic additives

El Poder del Consumidor (EPC) has made forums with experts, protests in front of the education ministry, healthy school lunches, press conferences, videos, among several other activities. With a team of 3 to 4 people the organization has become one of the main organizations with public presence that pushes for healthier options of food inside the schools.

El Poder del Consumidor (EPC) has made forums with experts, protests in front of the education ministry, healthy school lunches, press conferences, videos, among several other activities. With a team of 3 to 4 people the organization has become one of the main organizations with public presence that pushes for healthier options of food inside the schools.

Against Junk Food inside the Schools

Against Junk Food Advertisement

EPC has presented complaints against junk food advertisement in Mexico specially aimed to children, before the consumert´s defense organism in the country, complaints with the human´s rights commision, has made studies related to junk food advertisement , has made forums with experts, has made designs, videos and awards to the worse commertials

EPC has presented complaints against junk food advertisement in Mexico specially aimed to children, before the consumert´s defense organism in the country, complaints with the human´s rights commision, has made studies related to junk food advertisement , has made forums with experts, has made designs, videos and awards to the worse commertials

Results

EPC ha presentado denuncias contra esta publicidad ante la procuraduría de defensa del consumidor, quejas ante la comisión de derechos humanos, realizado estudios sobre este tipo de publicidad, foros con expertos, diseños, videos,

entrega de premios.

We put the topic of junk food advertisement in the public agenda and with the threat the industries presented their self regulation code of advertisement aimed to children. Now we are pointing out that the self regulation does not work and that it is necessary an official regulation. We are working in a group called by the PanAmerican Health Organization (PAHO) in this matter.

We put the topic of junk food advertisement in the public agenda and with the threat the industries presented their self regulation code of advertisement aimed to children. Now we are pointing out that the self regulation does not work and that it is necessary an official regulation. We are working in a group called by the PanAmerican Health Organization (PAHO) in this matter.

EPC ha presentado denuncias contra esta publicidad ante la procuraduría de defensa del consumidor, quejas ante la comisión de derechos humanos, realizado estudios sobre este tipo de publicidad, foros con expertos, diseños, videos,

entrega de premios.

THANKS THANKS