Sinaloa.- The municipal authority, the Ministry of Health and school directors have the power to mobilize food stalls located less than 100 meters away around of schoolsin accordance with the General Guidelines for the Sale and Distribution of Prepared and Processed Food and Beverages in Schools of the National Educational System, however, this does not always happen.
Yesterday Debate presented a series of photographs taken outside various educational centers in Sinaloawhere they are observed motorcycles with food that are installed on departure times to offer products that, according to nutrition specialists, are not suitable for the health of students. Karely Rojo López, head of the New Culture of Health department at the state level, indicated for Debate that it is very important to have the support of parents to ensure that this intake of junk food after school is eradicated.
At another point, the director of Inspection and Surveillance of the City Council of Culiacán, Luis Alfonso Meza Espinoza, explained for Debate that in very particular cases you can request the support of the Municipal Police for peacefully remove vendors.
Parents
Karely Rojo López, head of the New Health Culture department, indicated that outside of schools, the actions that are within her reach are to verify that there is no sale of junk food within 100 meters, as established by the guideline as a measure that the student, when leaving, does not find that type of food.
Read more: Junk food lurks in Sinaloa schools with face-to-face classes
For Rojo López, from the Ministry of Health in Sinaloa, it is extremely important that parents accompany the issue, “we can go to the school to do all kinds of promotion, the teachers, the institution can do their part, but if the father of the family does not reinforce or support us in this sense, it will be of no use”, he indicated.
The doctor added that it is very possible that the student stops inside the school due to what is offered in their cooperatives or school stores, but outside that area, she maintained that they do not have control, that is why she stressed that the actions also They are aimed at parents, with the intention of promoting and raising awareness of healthy lifestyles.
key officials
Karely Rojo López, head of the New Health Culture department, indicated that the main illness that junk products produce (such as chips, colas, flavored waters, candy, cookies, etc.) is the obesity. Due to the above, he considered that it is important to say “no” to the purchase of these products, especially if the adult, the father of the family, already knows that they are harmful to his children. He recommended opting for fresh produce, fruits, vegetables, etc.
According to the Mi Escuela Saludable program of the Power of the Consumer in Mexico, there is a chain of implementation of the regulation to prevent the sale of charro food inside and outside the schools, and in addition to the Ministry of Health and the key officials are the heads of the sector and supervisors of the SEP at the local level and the leaders of the application and monitoring of the regulation at the state, local and school zone levels.
Among the seven key elements to have healthy school environments, is avoiding the sale of junk food in the peripheries of educational institutions.
The director of Inspection and Surveillance of the City Council of Culiacán, Luis Alfonso Meza Espinoza, explained for Debate that this department is responsible for supporting schools in the face of this problem. In particular, he mentioned that it is helped when there are complaints and it is resolved by removing the vendors in case they are causing any inconvenience. It is checked if they have a sales permit and if they have a guarantee from the school.
“In the tours we do in the First Square of the city we also remove them, this is surely going to be reactivated right now,” he said.
With the reactivation of face-to-face classes, he pointed out that they are obliged to attend to and resolve the complaints that are filed. The visit to this type of itinerant business, he said, is mainly conciliatory, talk first and when there is a complaint it is mentioned, they are invited to withdraw in a conciliatory mannerbut if they don’t want to retire the Municipal Police can come to helpalthough he acknowledged that it is not very common to reach that extreme.
“The invitation is mainly for those responsible for the schools to call the City Council to generate the report, in this case, the Inspection and Surveillance area, and we provide immediate attention,” he said.
It is worth mentioning that each Sinaloa City Council has an Inspection and Surveillance Directorate, and they have the same powers to assist schools in matters of street vending.
The Data
Junk food
In minors, this type of food can cause, according to the National Institute of Health, obesity, overweight, dental caries and poor mental concentration.
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To understand…
Inside the school
Citlali Becerra, coordinator of the Health Promotion Schools component at the state level, indicated that in 2021 the National School Health Strategy program was applied to contribute to the prevention of malnutrition in the educational community. For a school to be a health promoter, she indicated that 20 criteria must be carried out at different stages, including the one that refers to the offer of food and beverages.
“It is about that in all schools, those who are in charge of cooperatives or little stores, offer healthy food to students,” he mentioned.
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