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Now, as members of business groups and consortia of the soft drink industry, they deny the harm to health caused by ingesting their products.
WRITING
CANTON GROUP
Mexico City. – In the discussion about the increase in Special Tax on Production and Services (IEPS) a sugary drinks and soft drinksseveral of the businessmen who defend these products, held high positions in the government of former President Enrique Peña Nieto (2012-2018), as they deny that soft drinks are related to the obesity pandemic.
The main defenders are Roberto Campa Cifrián is director of corporate affairs at FEMSA, a bottler of Coca Cola Company and he was Peña Nieto’s undersecretary of the interior; Patricio Case Pradoone of the senior directors of Coca Cola, was a former official of the Federal Commission for the Protection Against Health Risks (Cofepris); Andrés Massieu Fernández He held several positions in the Presidential Office of EPN and is now president of the Mexican Beverage Association (MexBeb); and Vicente Gutiérrez Camposecoformer official of both the Ministry of Economy with EPN, and Infonavit and now president of Government Relations of Canaco CDMX.
The ex-peñistas in a meeting on October 8 with the Finance Commission of the Chamber of Deputies, Patricio Caso, Andrés Massieu and Vicente Gutiérrezdenied that soft drinks are responsible for the so-called diabetes pandemic. They also claimed that the increase in the IEPS is not a solution to confront the disease.
Furthermore, on other occasions it was revealed that while they were in office during the EPN six-year term, they sought to benefit the soft drinks companies. Patricio Caso was denounced in 2022 along with Mikel Arriola and Álvaro Pérez, both former commissioners of the Cofepris to design labeling that did not harm soft drinks. With a stance defending CokePrado Case declared himself openly opposed to Mexican laws.
Among other arguments, Gutiérrez Camposeco justified that the tax increase will not combat obesity and will only affect small and medium-sized businesses.