SEP backtracks on banning junk food from Mexican schools

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about how the SEP (Secretariat of Public Education ) had agreed to eliminate junk food from Mexico's schools.  This was seen as a positive step in the fight against childhood obesity and diabetes.  It seems as though the junk food giants have "convinced" the SEP and the SSA (Secretary of Health) to backtrack.

The original plan would pull cakes and fried foods, like potato chips, from schools starting at the beginning of the 2010 school year.  The Secterary of Health, Jose Angel Cordova, claims that the producers of such foods require more time to adjust to the new requirements and work on making their products healthier.  So, what will be pulled from schools when classes start up this fall?  All drinks with added sugar which include sodas, fruit juices, and nectars.  One of the immediate responses from the snack industry will be to change the sizes of their products.