“Consuma más azúcar”. Nutrition, Homemade Industries, and Advertising in Almanaque Dulce, 1937-1960

Abstract

Almanaque Dulce was an annual publication issued between 1934 and 1960 by the Unión Nacional de Productores de Azúcar (unpasa) to promote sugar consumption in Mexico. This article examines how the magazine legitimized mass sugar consumption through nutritional discourses that framed it as an essential component of daily nutrition. Through recipes, domestic economy advice, and advertising strategies, the magazine reinforced traditional household and femininity values. Using a historical and nutritional approach, we analyze Almanaque Dulce issues from 1937 to 1959 alongside cookbooks and domestic economy manuals, contrasting them with contemporary research on food and public health. The findings reveal how the magazine shaped sugar perception, associating it with well-being and nutrition while integrating its consumption into domestic economy practices and children’s diets. We conclude that Almanaque Dulce contributed to the normalization of sugar in the Mexican diet and that its discourse aligned with industrial and political interests that benefited the sugar industry throughout the 20th Century.