Dairy Prices in Chile Show Mixed Trends as Powdered Milk Rises

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for dairy products in Chile showed diverse trends in April 2026. According to the latest report by Fedeleche, utilizing data fr om the National Statistics Institute (INE), the category encompassing dairy, plant-based beverages, and eggs rose by 1.3%. This contrasts with the slight 0.1% decline in the general food division during the same period.

Key drivers of this monthly increase were basic products. Powdered milk saw the highest surge of 5.1%, followed by liquid milk with a 2.0% rise. Other categories with positive changes included yogurt (+1.0%) and dairy desserts (+0.3%). Conversely, cheese and butter acted as moderating factors in the sector's inflation, recording decreases of -0.7% and -1.4% respectively, helping to balance the final cost of the dairy basket for consumers.

Over a 12-month period, the trend is consistently upward, reflecting accumulated inflationary pressure surpassing the general food index. In this timeframe, dairy desserts registered an extraordinary 13.2% increase, followed by powdered milk (7.5%) and yogurt (6.5%). Liquid milk advanced by 5.7%, while cheese and butter showed marginal variations around 0.3% and 0.1%, respectively.

Fedeleche highlighted the necessity to monitor these variations to assess the sector's competitiveness and impact on domestic consumption. With the country's annual inflation at 2.7%, the dairy category's accumulated variation of 4.6% over a year indicates ongoing challenges in transferring costs to the final price, amidst a context wh ere Chilean households' purchasing power is showing signs of adjustment due to the rising costs of basic services and transport.