The Sweet Epidemic: How Mexico Became the Kingdom of Diabetes

This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by one of our passionate readers, Mr Tommaso Franco, geopolitical analyst specialized in International Relations at Luiss University (MA in European Studies). The opinions expressed within reflect only the writer’s views and not necessarily The European Sting’s position on the issue.

With a national per capita average of half a liter of Cola per day, from church rituals to baby bottles, the soft drink reaches everywhere in Mexico. What lies behind this sad record?

Can we define “consumer choice” as that which occurs in the absence of alternatives? In Mexico, Cola consumption is a brutal case study: 160 liters per year per citizen, skyrocketing to 828 liters in the poorest areas such as Chiapas, in the south of the country. The NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) has made American imported drinks more affordable than water itself, transforming a health emergency into a humanitarian and political paradox.

The Health Emergency. The Collapse of Mexico’s System

What the WHO defines as “the epidemic of the century” has led Mexico to have the highest rates of diabetes (now among the leading causes of mortality) and obesity in the world. The most tragic aspect concerns chronic complications: thousands of citizens every year undergo limb amputations due to untreated diabetic complications. It is a disturbing vicious circle fueled by poverty: in a country where Cola costs less than water, many get sick, but very few can afford treatment.

The extreme case of Chiapas. Where Cola ends up in baby bottles and on altars

Despite being one of the rainiest regions in Mexico, the population of Chiapas is dying of thirst. While multinationals extract over 1.3 million liters of water per day thanks to government concessions, it is common to see babies drinking Cola from a bottle instead of milk. Here the drink has even entered the church: in San Juan Chamula, it is used in liturgical rituals because it is believed that the belching caused by the gas expels evil spirits.

Between State Concessions and Cartel Extortions. The Pact Between Politics and Mexican Narcos

Mexican politics has historically rolled out the red carpet for the Atlanta giant. The rise of Vicente Fox, who moved from the presidency of Cola Mexico to that of the Republic in 2000, symbolizes an era of unscrupulous water concessions that drained aquifers in favor of bottling lines. Today, however, this hegemony is threatened by drug cartels. In states like Guerrero, drug trafficking has infiltrated distribution, imposing protection money on transport. In Ciudad Altamirano, entire plants have been closed for security reasons after refusing to pay extortions. The result is a distorted market where the price of a can is decided by the bosses.

Doubling the soda tax, funding healthcare, and bans in schools. The government’s response challenges tradition

To counter the crisis, drastic measures have been launched. As of March 2025, there is an absolute ban on junk food and sugary drinks in schools, and from January 2026 the “soda tax” – the tax on sugary drinks – has nearly doubled (from 1.64 to 3.08 pesos per liter). The goal is to generate 41 billion pesos for healthcare. However, experts’ doubts remain: can a tax correct a culture where soda ends up in baby bottles? The challenge is not only to prohibit but to build: without massive investments in water infrastructure, the “soda tax” risks becoming just an additional economic burden on the poorest segments of society.

Sources: Latinometrics; Statista, NY Times

Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadìstica y Geografica (INEGI) 

SOURCES

Al Jazeera – ‘Forgotten’. How one Mexican city struggles against big industry for water

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/2025/1/8/forgotten-how-one-mexican-city-struggles-against-big-industry-for-water#:~:text=Eduardo%20Gomez%2C%20a%20professor%20who,Coca%2DCola%20across%20the%20country.

BBC News – Refrescos en México: Chiapas, el estado de México donde el consumo de refrescos es 30 veces superior al promedio mundial

https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-america-latina-53746039

BBC News – The Mexicans dying for a fizzy drink

https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35461270

Business Insurance – Violence, insecurity forces companies to shutter operations

https://www.businessinsurance.com/violence-insecurity-forces-companies-to-shutter-operations

CNN – ‘Farewell, junk food!’: Mexico bans sale of salty and sweet treats in schools to fight child obesity

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/29/americas/mexico-bans-junk-food-schools-intl-hnk#:~:text=Farewell%2C%20junk%20food!-,’:%20Mexico%20bans%20sale%20of%20salty%20and%20sweet%20treats%20in%20schools,on%20a%20global%20obesity%20epidemic.

FEMSA – Coca-Cola FEMSA Announces Indefinite Closure of its Operations in Ciudad Altamirano, Guerrero

https://www.femsa.com/en/press-room/press-release/coca-cola-femsa-announces-indefinite-closure-of-operations-ciudad-altamirano/#:~:text=Coca%2DCola%20FEMSA%20Announces%20Indefinite,in%20Ciudad%20Altamirano%2C%20Guerrero%20%2D%20FEMSA

Gobierno de México – Impuestos a las bebidas azucaradas para proteger la salud

https://insp.mx/ultimas-noticias/impuestos-a-las-bebidas-azucaradas-para-proteger-la-salud

Instituto Nacional de Estadìstica y Geografica (INEGI) 

International Crisis Group (ICG) – Mexico’s Everyday War: Guerrero and the Trials of Peace

https://www.crisisgroup.org/rpt/latin-america-caribbean/mexico/080-mexicos-everyday-war-guerrero-and-trials-peace

National Institute of Health – Diabetes mellitus: The epidemic of the century 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4478580/#:~:text=Diabetes%20mellitus:%20The%20epidemic%20of%20the%20century%20%2D%20PMC

PMC – Amputations of Lower Limb in Subjects with Diabetes Mellitus: Reasons and 30-Day Mortality

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8328738/#:~:text=3.1.&text=The%20number%20of%20amputations%20in%20patients%20with%20diabetes%20increased%20substantially,in%20Figure%201(b)

SBS News – This small town in Mexico is addicted to Coca-Cola. It also grapples with a deadly disease

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/dateline/article/this-small-town-in-mexico-is-addicted-to-coca-cola-it-also-grapples-with-a-deadly-disease/p1m2g5dtd

The Pendulum (Clemson University) – The Sweet Poison: Coca-Cola’s Grip on Chiapas

https://www.clemsonpendulum.com/post/the-sweet-poison-coca-cola-s-grip-on-chiapas#:~:text=What%20was%20once%20viewed%20as,extraction%20drying%20up%20local%20wells.