MEXICO CITY – Latin American countries are increasingly legislating restrictions on junk foods, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Since 2012, Peru, Uruguay and Costa Rica have banned junk food from public schools, while Ecuador recently implemented a nutritional label system that cautions against high levels of salt, sugar, and fat content. And food makers in Ecuador will be barred from including cartoon characters to promote unhealthy food items.

Mexico has been aggressive in targeting unhealthy foods: It passed a tax on sugary drinks and a special tax of 8% on packaged foods including potato chips. Meanwhile, Chile and Peru have banned Happy Meal toys.

The measures are meant to address a growing obesity concern in Latin America. In Chile and Mexico, roughly 70% of adults and 33% of children are overweight.

Barry Popkin, author of a book titled "The World is Fat," said the Mexican beverage tax could follow the course of anti-smoking initiatives that have been spreading. "We'll have evidence within a couple of years. That's when you start to see the domino effect."