Food security in Mexico
[2] The issue of food inaccessibility is magnified by chronic child malnutrition, as well as obesity in children, adolescents, and families.
[9][10][11] The North region is the most industrialized, has a high per capital income and infrastructure, and has sufficient access to basic services.
[1] The South region is the least developed, has the most rural and indigenous inhabitants in Mexico, and has insufficient access to basic services.
According to Mexico's National Public Health Institute, few households meet what the guidelines for an adequate and diverse diet[19]: 9 For indigenous populations, the problem is worse.
[19]: 9 In 2013, Mexico was ranked fourth globally and first in Latin America in per capita spending on ultra-processed foods and drinks.
[21] In Mexico, although the prevalence of malnutrition has been decreasing, it continues to be a health issue where policies aimed at reducing food poverty have not been effective.
[24] The main factors to which the rise in obesity have been attributed to are the increase in the consumption of hyper-caloric foods that are rich in fat, salt, and sugar and poor in important nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and fiber as well as the decrease in physical activity.
[28] The program involved a cash reward for families that undertook actions to improve the health and nutritional status of their household.
[29] The program was relatively successful: attendance in secondary school increased by more than 20% for girls and 10% for boys in PROGRESA households.
[29] The National Crusade against Hunger (CNCH) started in 2013 and was implemented by the federal government through the Secretariat of Social Development (SEDESOL).
It includes interventions run by 55 preexisting programs in the fields of health and nutrition services, food production and distribution, and social and educational development, among others.
The CNCH campaign started in 400 municipalities with the highest numbers and percentages of people living in conditions of extreme poverty and food insecurity.
[30] Some studies report that households receiving cash transfers and enrolled in social health insurance were not protected against food insecurity during the 2008 crisis.
[31] However, the program that provided cash grants to the elderly population (i.e. above 70 years old) did protect households against food insecurity.
