They protest in Oaxaca against law that prohibits the sale of “junk food” to minors

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30 thousand signatures collected by union members were delivered to the National Alliance of Small Merchants (ANPEC), which with these actions formally starts a campaign rejecting the law, still without entering into force

Alianza Nacional de Pequeños Comerciantes | Infochannel

This Wednesday, merchants, businessmen and residents of communities in the Mixteca region of Oaxaca , who arrived by buses, spoke out in the capital’s zócalo against the law that prohibits the direct sale of products with high caloric content to minors , recently approved by the local Congress.

The reason for the concentration, in addition to rejecting the law, was to deliver 30 thousand signatures collected in Oaxaca, by members of the National Alliance of Small Traders (ANPEC) , which with these actions formally starts a campaign rejecting the law, still without going into effect.

The argument of the merchants is that the ban will harm the local economy, because when applied to the open market, it will cause a collapse in the sales of the 60 thousand small businesses that exist in the entity.

“Things are not good because of the pandemic to be moved by the low economic activity in the country. This action is in legitimate defense of our rights, the prohibitions around the world are doomed to failure, “warned Cuauhtémoc Rivera, president of ANPEC.

In concentration this Wednesday, the merchants assured that the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a collapse in sales of up to 20%, which is why they called to defend the freedom of consumption, trade and the protection of employment; all under the motto “Forbidden to prohibit.”

The protest was attended by local chambers of commerce such as the National Chamber of Commerce in Small Business, Services and Tourism (Canacope-Servytur), and the Association of Chocolatiers, among others that were called against the prohibition, which, they affirmed, has “a profound authoritarian stink ”.

The merchants and businessmen assured that what they are looking for is a space for dialogue and they are not against the law itself, but that it has been approved without taking into account those most affected, which are business owners.

Among the attendees were about 100 people carrying cards rejecting the “anti-junk” law and with little space to maintain a healthy distance. After his message, the documents with the signatures were delivered to the Office of Parties, with a request for a hearing with Governor Alejandro Murat.

In an interview with EL UNIVERSAL, Cuauhtémoc Rivera made it clear that one of the aspects most questioned by merchants about the new law is that it is not only aimed at children, but also includes adolescents and young people, which is why he considers that the best path is The education.

Young people have the right to make their decisions and bear the consequences of them. For this, we must provide them with quality information, only in this way can we aspire to citizens with different habits, but not with a prohibition that affects the economy, generates unemployment, fosters informality, widens the scope for corruption and will increase poverty. that’s what we will tell the governor, ”he said.

The leader assured that the objective is to open spaces for dialogue and build consensus to find mechanisms and alternatives to address this health situation (obesity) without resorting to such a strict prohibition. He even pointed out that there are legal spaces in the law itself for this purpose, for example in the regulations, since the law has yet to become operational.

“We are not opposed to prohibiting the sale inside schools, that together with the new subject of healthy living is an alternative, instead of a ban on the open market and those under 18. It is no longer talking about children, but about adolescents and young people, so it is a greater impact ”.

The above, he pointed out, because in reality children are not “invited to the party” because they do not have purchasing power, while adolescents are being “depersonalized.”

“A 17-year-old is almost an adult who has access to information and decision-making capacity, which must be promoted to empower him. We are going to educate them well so that they are not mistaken, but not prohibiting. These sales that you prohibit to formal merchants, you are sending them to the sidewalks and to the cruise ships, “he said.

Congresswoman Magaly López Domínguez urged Governor Alejandro Murat Hinojosa to establish public policies to comprehensively address the health and nutrition of the children of Oaxaca.

The local Congress, he said, took a great step towards the health of Oaxacan children by prohibiting the sale of soft drinks and junk food to minors, and now it is up to the head of the Executive Branch to promptly promulgate the decree that adds an article 20 bis to the Law on the Rights of Girls, Boys and Adolescents to prohibit the distribution, sale, gift, and supply to minors of sugary beverages and high calorie packaged foods, allowing the sale only to mothers, fathers, and legal guardians.

The legislator warned that the reform approved by Congress runs the risk of becoming a dead letter if there is no political will on the part of the Executive Branch, in charge of its application, and if it is not accompanied by public policies designed and implemented under a rights, aimed at comprehensive health care and nutrition for Oaxacan children.

In the same way, he specified that the reform is aligned with a recommendation that the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) made to the Mexican government in 2018, in the sense of establishing “adequate regulation and monitoring of the marketing of food and drinks aimed at girls, boys, and adolescents ”.

Source: eluniversal.com.mx, proceso.com.mx

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