The constant increase in the price of food is the main concern of the Puerto Rican consumer, who fears not having the economic capacity to pay for it and is also concerned about the risk of a shortage of products.
According to the “preliminary” results of the Consumer Radiography study 2021, presented by the Chamber of Marketing, Industry and Food Distribution (MIDA), the increase in food prices worries 94% of consumers, the ability to have enough money To pay for them is concern for 77% of them and the risk of missing products is something that 76% fear.
According to this survey, in which 1,350 consumers were interviewed during the months of July and August last, the fear of contagion with Covid-19 is still present in 72% of consumers.
The full data from the study will be presented during MIDA’s annual convention, which will be held from November 11-13. This is a tool, it was emphasized, that has been used by the food industry, and by the country, to know and understand the behavior of Puerto Rican consumers for the past 29 years.
As on previous occasions, the people responsible for making the household food purchases were interviewed, although this year a smaller group of secondary household buyers was included.
It was anticipated that the study sample reflected that 54% of the respondents were women and 46% men, who identified themselves as home buyer agents. It was noted that this last group is increasingly involved in the management of food purchases at home, when compared to 24% in 2018.
38% of those surveyed are married and 49% are PAN card users, added the chairman of the Radiography Committee, Richard Valdés.
Diana Rodríguez, president of Lighthouse Strategies, the research firm that carried out the survey, indicated for her part that this year she went further to specify the family composition of that main consumer. The result of this management was that the average composition is approximately 2.4 people per household, that 31% of households are made up of mother, father and children, 17% are mothers and children and 27% live alone.
Given the concerns expressed by consumers, they have taken measures such as cooking more at home (59%), storing products (50%) and avoiding food waste (44%). The latter practice, it was noted, is most prominent among the ages 25 to 44.
Although there is great concern among consumers and in the industry for the various situations that are causing reductions in the availability of certain products, the executive vice president of MIDA assured that there will be no shortage of food in the country.
“There is a big concern at the level of the entire industry. We do not see light at the end of the tunnel in the medium term in terms of what are the prices and the solution to this transportation, but the industry is very resilient and is always looking for a source all the time and looking for alternative products “, Reyes said.
“If suddenly the international part closes, as it happened, then we started importing from the United States and vice versa. We are looking for alternatives all the time. There should be no widespread concern that we will go hungry. We have to deal with this price situation and that the article or the specific variety that we are used to, for a while is not going to be, “he added.
He explained that there are different problems at different links. “We are facing a perfect storm, where there are many chips throughout the chain. The positive, if there is something positive, is that our industry is expert, well sophisticated, in terms of where we supply ourselves and in logistics issues and they look for alternatives and that is why we envision that the people should not have any concern that we are going to stay Without food”.
