Pirate Tortillas Dominate Quintana Roo Markets

Cancún, Quintana Roo — Tortilla makers have revealed that up to 70 percent of the tortillas sold in Quintana Roo are prepared with low-quality ingredients. This practice is part of an informal market that is severely impacting formal businesses.

Of the approximately one thousand tortilla makers in Quintana Roo, the half that operate this industry formally are seeing their sales affected by up to 70 percent due to "pirate" operations. These informal producers irregularly obtain ingredients, sometimes of inferior quality, evade electricity costs and other payments, and are acing the market by offering a product of dubious origin in the closest convenience stores, albeit at a high cost to the consumer.

In addition to the illegal operations, the industrial tortilla makers are also fighting against unfair competition from transnational chains that offer this staple food at prices far below the average cost, which in Quintana Roo should be around 25 pesos per kilogram.

Rubén Montalvo Morales, president of the National Chamber of the Mass and Tortilla Production Industry, Quintana Roo delegation, explained that the so-called "pirate tortilla" is of considerably lower quality than that from a tortillería. It is defined as such due to its ingredients of dubious origin and the manner in which it is produced.

Many Grocery Stores Sell "Pirate" Tortillas Unknowingly

He stated that, just as there are formal sellers who transition to informality to avoid all required payments, there are illegal operators who steal corn, flour, and other inputs, which allows their production costs to be far below those who operate legally.

"There are a great number of people working in that situation; it affects our sales by up to 70 percent. They produce with the minimum and by offering it cheap, the small stores buy from them and sell more and more. They represent about 40 percent of those of us who are registered, but they sell more," emphasized the interviewee.

Montalvo Morales explained that many small businesses sell these tortillas made with low-quality ingredients, and sometimes even the manager or owner does not know where they are made. He has therefore demanded regulation for what is being sold on the streets that does not come from established tortillerías.

"Everything must be controlled and identified so it can be established who made it and with what ingredients they made it; otherwise, anyone can offer tortillas," he indicated.

Supermarkets Engage in Dumping with Tortillas

On the other hand, regarding supermarkets, he stated that it is a case of unfair competition, but it is up to the consumer to choose whether it is convenient to pay less for a tortilla that is visibly of poor quality.

"The supermarkets are causing dumping in the market because the sale of tortillas in these places is unfair, illegitimate competition. The price they offer is well below cost and they are therefore operating illegally, selling it very cheaply," he stated.

Faced with this situation, the tortilla industrialist urged consumers to buy from tortillerías, as it is cheaper than in stores, with an average price of 25 pesos per kilogram, while in small convenience stores, it can reach up to 34 pesos.

"The production of this food from supermarkets, what they show on the shelves, is what is available in the United States: they bring it here to sell to us. That is no longer a tortilla, which is why it is preferable to buy directly from the tortillería," he concluded.