Mexico maintains ban on sugary drinks and snacks in schools despite court delays

Mexico’s president Claudia Sheinbaum affirms that the ban on selling sugary drinks and ultra-processed snacks in schools will remain, despite ongoing legal challenges from food and beverage companies. The government emphasises health benefits and plans a national campaign to promote healthier lifestyles among children.

Mexico’s ban on selling sugary drinks and ultra-processed snacks in schools will stay in force despite legal challenges from beverage and food companies, President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Thursday. She argued that the state has a duty to set limits when products are linked to harm, and said the restrictions inside schools have not been changed by the court cases. The government is also standing by front-of-pack warning labels on products high in sugar, calories, saturated fat, trans fat and sodium.

Sheinbaum said companies are entitled to take their complaints to court, but insisted that the appeals filed so far have not succeeded. She framed the policy as a public-health measure rather than an attack on business, saying firms should improve their products instead of resisting regulation. She also rejected claims that there is no scientific basis for the rules, linking excessive consumption of junk food and soft drinks to health damage among Mexicans.

The wider dispute remains tied up in the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation. According to the court’s General Agreement 7/2026-AAG, issued in July and published in the Official Gazette, judges delayed rulings on certain direct and review amparos, along with conflicting-case questions, while the full court works out common criteria on school nutrition rules. By 9 June 2026, there were 25 review amparos pending over the rules covering the preparation, distribution and sale of food and drinks in schools across the national education system.

The pause in final judgments does not amount to a suspension of the rules themselves. As the court’s resolution makes clear, the cases must continue until they are ready for judgement, but sentencing must wait until the full bench sets the relevant standard. Sheinbaum said a national campaign will begin in October to promote balanced diets, exercise and physical activity, with a focus on preventing diseases such as diabetes and hypertension and encouraging healthy habits from an early age.