Access restrictions halted Liconsa milk deliveries in Mexico City
Deliveries operated by Liconsa, part of the federal Leche para el Bienestar programme, were blocked at the Campamento Nueva Atzacoalco Subdelegación 3 Almacén in Gustavo A. Madero. The facility is located at the intersection of streets 331 and 318 in the northern part of Mexico City.
Administrative staff at the site prevented delivery vehicles from entering. They cited alleged earlier thefts of tools and said that allowing the trucks through would breach the facility’s security controls. The restriction disrupted the usual distribution point, which had served the community for more than a decade, according to the report.
Those responsible for distributing the milk moved the bags to a private home as an emergency measure. The change was intended to prevent hundreds of registered beneficiary families from losing their assigned allocation. Local residents also threatened to block roads to demand that distribution return to the original facility.
The product is pasteurised liquid milk and requires continuous refrigeration at about 4°C during distribution. Delays in unloading or storage in premises without industrial cold rooms can interrupt that temperature control, particularly during periods of strong sunlight. The report notes that pasteurisation at temperatures above 72°C provides biological safety, while the product’s physical and chemical stability depends on prompt delivery to covered, suitably equipped collection points.
The interruption also affected the programme’s distribution arrangements. Families with lower incomes may have to buy replacement products through neighbourhood shops, where the report says low-priced milk-like drinks made with industrial whey powders and vegetable fats are sold alongside genuine milk. Liconsa’s product is described as cow’s milk fortified with iron, zinc and vitamins, and as a source of protein and calcium.
The disruption added transport and handling difficulties for community organisers, including unplanned relocation costs and potential losses if suitable storage was unavailable. The programme also faces operating expenses related to fuel, vehicle maintenance and plastic packaging. The report said that a resolution would require co-ordination among the Agriculture Secretariat, Liconsa’s metropolitan management and Gustavo A. Madero authorities, including shared security procedures that would allow delivery trucks to enter the facility.
