Economics
As Food Trade Ballooned Under Nafta, So Did Mexican Waistlines
- Surge in obesity is linked to U.S. food imports, study shows
- Mexico now has highest share of overweight people in OECD
Presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is calling for a rethink of the national diet.
Photographer: Alfredo Estrella/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Avocado toast and juice bars are all the rage for American hipsters, foodies and millennials.
And they have Nafta to thank -- at least in part. The accord has brought an abundance of fresh produce to U.S. grocers. Mexico shipped $10.5 billion of fruit and vegetables to its northern neighbor in 2016. And food trade has boomed in the other direction too. But, at least when you measure in terms of nutrition rather than dollars, Mexicans appear to be getting the worse end of the deal -- and gaining weight as a result.