Inflation may have been a worldwide phenomenon in 2021 (as this country’s president is eager to point out; see story page one), but that’s of little comfort to the millions of Mexicans struggling to make their pay packets cover the basic necessities of life.
The end-of-year seasonal period brings its own economic challenges for heads of families, with gift giving and the Christmas dinner often topping the list of additional expenses.
In most Mexican families, the Christmas cena is consumed on nochebuena (Christmas Eve). As these family gatherings are usually numerous, turkey is often eschewed for more inexpensive (and arguably tastier) fare, such as pozole (pork and corn hominy stew) or birria (beef or goat stew).
With the annual inflation rate running above seven percent, 2021 is unlikely to be the exception. According to data from the Association Nacional de Pequeños Comerciantes, families deciding to go the turkey route this year will be stung especially hard by the rise in prices. A list of Mexican turkey dinner essentials released last week by this business organization illustrates how the price of many foods has soared way above the inflation rate over the past 12 months.
Turkey … up 50 percent (from 2020)
Stuffing ingredients … up 38.9 percent
Pasta side dish … up 33.3 percent
Potato side dish … up 30 percent
Romeritos … up 25 percent
Xmas salad … up 15 percent
Ponche … up 20 percent
Coca Cola … up 21 percent
Tequila … up 20 percent
The only consolation, according to the Small Business Association, is that the price of beer has decreased in real terms, registering an increase of 4.7-percent this year.
Neither does it get any better as the year turns, with the cost of grapes, de rigueur for the New Year’s Eve countdown ceremony, increasing by 37 percent.