Mexico City

Junk food tax passed: Mexicans, who recently surpassed Americans as the world’s fattest people, will now have to pay a tax on junk food. The government has imposed an 8 percent tax on candy, chips, and the like. But it has so far added only 1 peso per liter to the price of soda, as the Senate argues the merits of an 8 peso per liter tax. Mexicans drink more sugary soft drinks than anyone else—43 gallons a year each, compared with 31 gallons per year for Americans—and that is considered a major factor in the country’s soaring diabetes rate. “More is currently spent on soft drinks than on eggs, beans, and tortillas,” said Alejandro Calvillo of the advocacy group Consumer Power.

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