Taco Prices Finally Fall, Giving a Break to Mexican Shoppers

Taco prices fell in February for the first time in over a year, giving a break to Mexican consumers who had been battling spikes in everything from avocado to corn tortilla costs.

(Bloomberg) — Taco prices fell in February for the first time in over a year, giving a break to Mexican consumers who had been battling spikes in everything from avocado to corn tortilla costs.

The street-side staple reached a annual inflation rate of -1.91% in February, the first decrease in prices since May 2021, according to a Bloomberg Data calculation based on information released by the national statistics institute Thursday. 

If you do the calculation with pork, the main ingredient in everything from the slowly-rotating-on-a-spit pastor tacos to basted-in-lard carnitas, and add in the price rises for corn tortillas, onion and avocado, taco annual inflation peaked in April 2022 at slightly above 57%. Beef tacos followed a similar trajectory, with negative annual inflation last month. 

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Inflation in Mexico slowed to 7.62% in February, promising news for the country’s central bank, which has raised its key rate by 700 basis points since June 2021. Lunch food still came in expensive, ranking fourth on a list of contributing factors, according to the statistics institute. But prices at sandwich shops, taco stands and quick-meal restaurants together rose only 0.85% in February compared to the previous month. 

–With assistance from Heitor Caixeta and Veronica Vilarinho.

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