Mexico's recent plan to ban junk food in schools aims to combat childhood obesity. However, this approach, which has had little success in the past, is only diverting attention from the fundamental problem of overeating and raises questions about the true locus of responsibility.

In affluent societies, the widespread availability of cheap, calorie-rich foods has made obesity a common problem, as financial constraints no longer limit access to such foods. This is further complicated in electoral democracies, where it's politically difficult to address the issue directly with the majority of voters.