Mexico, beset by obesity and diabetes, to consider a tax on soft drinks

McClatchy reports:

Mexico’s president, taking aim at sugary drinks as a public health issue, is asking Congress to impose a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages.

If the legislature passes the proposed tax, Mexicans would pay an extra peso (7.6 cents) for every liter of soft drinks, sports drinks or sugary beverage they buy.

Mexico has the highest rate of obesity of any country with 100 million or more residents, according to a United Nations report issued over the summer, and the incidence of diabetes is soaring, taking 70,000 lives a year.