Lima, Peru: Healthier school environments
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.
This case study was published more than two years ago.
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.
Read the case study
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.
