Lima, Peru
Lima, Peru
Building healthier school and restaurant environments
In June 2021, the Municipality of Lima adopted a major policy milestone in its efforts to reduce obesity and noncommunicable diseases: a city ordinance to create healthy food promotion programs, restrict the availability and marketing of unhealthy foods around schools and mandate measures such as the removal of saltshakers in restaurants.
Under the new law, Lima's schools will ban sales and advertising of junk foods such as sugary drinks and ultra-processed snacks within 200 meters, as well as develop programs promoting food education.
A new restaurant incentive program called “Lima Come Sano” (or “Lima Eats Healthy”) promotes establishments that offer healthy foods on at least 20% of their menus and that prominently post the caloric count of prepared foods. Inspired by work in Montevideo, Uruguay, salt and condiments will only be provided upon request.
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Increasing Access to Healthy Food in Schools: Lima, Peru
At the national level, Peru has historically suffered from high rates of child obesity. In 2021, the Metropolitan Municipality of Lima’s local congress unanimously passed a ground breaking law to improve access to healthier food for children locally. The ordinance encourages—and in many cases requires—healthy food environments in both schools and restaurants.
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Expanding cycling infrastructure to fight the COVID-19 pandemic: Lima, Peru
The COVID-19 era has been a boon for bikes, with physical distancing easier to follow on two wheels than inside trains or buses. Concerned about the risk of crowded public transport during COVID-19, the city of Lima is strengthening its cycling infrastructure with almost 50 km of emergency cycle lanes and additional parking. The use of public awareness and safety campaigns have furthermore strengthened road use practices and promote cycling as a safe mode of transport with benefits to personal, population and environmental health. The results are clear: Peru’s national Ministry of Transport and Communication accelerated the approval of legislation which promotes and regulates the use of the bicycle as a sustainable mode of transport.
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Key resources on COVID-19, road safety and physical activity: