By Lara Holmes

Costa Rica's government banned the sale of sugary or fatty foods over the country's schools, in order to reduce the problems of being overweight and obesity affecting more than 20% of children and adolescents.

Sodas, sugary juices, snack chips and sandwiches, among others, were excluded from school lunchrooms, under a decree issued by the Ministry of Education.

The intent of the measure is to create an environment that encourages healthy lifestyles, said Education Minister Leonardo Garnier, who defended the power of education authorities to establish such regulations.

A National Nutrition Survey, developed two years ago, revealed that 21.4% of children between five and 12 years are overweight or obese, while 20.8% of adolescents aged 13 years are in the same situation.

The move sparked immediate reaction from the Chamber of Food Industry (CAIA), which considered as erroneous concepts those of the decree, and threatened to take legal action to reverse it.