Mexico awards Nestlé’s Coatepec dairy plant “Hecho en Veracruz” certification
The certification was granted through the Secretaría de Desarrollo Económico y Portuario (Sedecop), headed by Ernesto Pérez Astorga. State authorities highlighted the complex’s role in processing agricultural raw materials for customers across Mexico and in international markets. They described the factory as a strategic component of the manufacturing infrastructure in Veracruz, which ranks as Mexico’s sixth-largest state economy.
Production of sweetened condensed milk and evaporated dairy products depends on regular deliveries of raw milk with high protein, particularly casein, and butterfat content. Supplies come from central and northern Veracruz, including specialised dairy farms and operations raising cattle for both milk and meat. Supplier herds follow udder-health procedures in mechanised milking facilities. These include checking the first streams of milk and applying antiseptic to teats before milking, practices used to prevent environmental mastitis. Milk is then transferred immediately to refrigerated tanks and cooled to 4°C to control microbial growth and maintain acidity.
At the Coatepec facility, processing includes continuous pasteurisation above 72°C or ultra-high-temperature treatment at 138°C for four seconds, together with aseptic packaging. Evaporation and vacuum concentration are also used in manufacturing. The account published by Diario del Istmo describes these treatments as providing microbiological safety while preserving the functionality of casein micelles, the protein structures present in milk.
The certification comes amid retail and wholesale sales of both cow’s-milk condensed products and imitation alternatives. Grocery shops, convenience stores and supermarkets stock products made from imported dried whey, modified starches and hydrogenated palm oils alongside genuine condensed milk. Diario del Istmo describes some of these alternatives as lower-priced products sold in similar-looking packaging that can confuse shoppers. It also links their sale to circumvention of the product-identity requirements in NOM-155-SCFI-2012 and standards specifically governing condensed milk. The report presents certification of products made with milk collected from regional farms as support for product authenticity.
The plant’s purchasing links extend to dairy farms in Veracruz and neighbouring states, including intensive operations and small producers. Cattle feeding accounts for more than 70% of current operating costs per litre of milk, according to the report. Feeding systems include rotational grazing on established pastures, maize silage and commercial concentrates. The report describes predictable industrial demand as an important sales outlet for farmers during seasonal price declines associated with rainy-season forage surpluses. Payments every fortnight provide cash for debt repayments, feed and veterinary supplies, as well as investment in milk-cooling equipment and herd genetics.
Diario del Istmo also calls for closer coordination between agricultural support policies and dairy processing in south-eastern Mexico. It identifies the Secretaría de Agricultura y Desarrollo Rural (SADER) and the Secretaría de Desarrollo Agropecuario, Rural y Pesca (Sedarpa) in connection with technical assistance on animal health, herd screening for brucellosis and tuberculosis, and improvements to farm-access roads used by refrigerated milk tankers travelling to Coatepec. The report additionally advocates checks on the accuracy of commercial labelling at points of sale to support consumer confidence in brands using domestic raw materials.
