In September 2013, Mexican president proposed the application of a excise tax to sugary drinks in order to reduce their consumption and thereby decrease the rates of overweight and obesity in the Mexican population. 

The Mexican Beverages Association and representatives of the soft drink production chain – sugar cane, sugar mills, soft drink suppliers, and small merchants – formed a common front in order to influence decision-making by legislators regarding this fiscal policy. 

At Ventura Comunicaciones, we coordinate the response plan that led to communication and public relations actions, relations with authorities, inter business organizations, lobbying, and awareness campaigns aimed at the population. 

Activities: 

• Action plan for dealing with critical issues 

• Strategy and preparation of messages and support documents 

• Coordination with business organizations communication of the soft drink production chain 

• Dissemination of positions of the Mexican beverages industry 

• Communication and media relations program 

• Development, management and participation in seminars and forums 

• Institutional relations and lobbying 

• Coordination of specialists panel  

Since the implementation of the tax in 2014, as the industry warned during its discussion, the tax on sugary drinks has been ineffective for the purposes it was created. Studies show that the tax has not generated a decrease in consumption, nor has it demonstrated its effectiveness in reducing the overweight and obesity rates of the Mexican population. 

The Mexican beverages industry maintains its position by ensuring that such a tax does not solve a multifactorial and complex problem such as overweight and obesity, but rather information, education and the adoption of healthy lifestyles.