Femeleche Calls for Audit of Dairy Industry Margins

Femeleche, a prominent organization in the dairy sector, has criticized the advertising practices of various brands that sell milk formulas and combination foods. They claim that the technical specifications are often written in small print, which can mislead consumers into purchasing products based on price rather than nutritional value. Femeleche has called on the government to launch public education campaigns to help consumers distinguish between pure milk, formula, and combined products.

Additionally, Femeleche has highlighted a significant price disparity between the amount paid to dairy farmers and the final price of milk in supermarkets, where a liter of milk is priced between 28 and 35 pesos. According to González Enríquez of Femeleche, recent reductions in the price paid to farmers, which went down to seven pesos per liter and now stands at approximately nine pesos, have not been reflected in consumer prices.

The organization has urged the Secretariat of Economy to conduct a thorough audit of the cost structure, commercial margins, and industrial practices within the dairy market. Femeleche pointed out that a small number of large processing companies dominate the market, giving them significant power to dictate prices paid to farmers and control the importation of milk powder.