Markets to Wal-Mart

Before the Spanish conquest the Aztecs bought and sold food in outdoor markets. Today, centuries later, many Mexicans still buy their food in markets; it is tradition. But more than ever the raucous outdoor markets have begun to fade in favor with Mexican consumers. They prefer Wal-Mart and other large grocery chains where they can buy capers in glass jars from Italy, beef from the United States, and sushi made fresh daily with imported seaweed and rice. This shift from small local markets to large international grocery chains is a manifestation of changes in economic policy. Policy affects where people buy their food. And where people buy their food causes many cultural changes.

For many years the notorious PRI party held power in Mexico. They created an economic policy ISI, or import substitution industrialization, designed to protect local agriculture markets by putting high tariffs on imports. Thus, once the imports made it to the Mexican market, the high prices steered potential customers away from foreign products and towards food produced in Mexico. This policy worked for decades to strengthen the Mexican agricultural sector. And consumers could find a plethora of locally grown and produced at the outdoor markets. ISI offered farmers a bit of economic protection and allowed families to live off of their crops while providing consumers with traditional food choices.

In 1986 Mexico opened up its economy and joined the globalizing trend by forming part of GATT, General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. This agreement stressed the importance of imports and led to NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement. NAFTA opened the borders between Mexico, Canada and the United States to easily buy, sell, and produce in other countries without strict trade restrictions. As a result US grocery chains sprouted up in Mexico and imported products began entering Mexico. The shift from economic protectionism to free trade changed buying habits for Mexicans. Grocery chains offered an enticing selection of foods from the “global village” and Mexican consumers moved away from the limited open markets to the array of food alternatives at the grocery stores.

The shift in buying habits from local to international shapes culture in diverse ways. Now that consumers largely prefer to buy imported goods from international grocery chains, many farms have lost customers. Therefore, many rural Mexicans have been forced to sell their land or leave it untilled in search of alternative sources of income. Without work many rural Mexicans migrate to the larger cities within Mexico or the United States in search of jobs. Young men pour out of their towns leaving them desolate. Many don’t return, thus the cultural institution of the family severely breaks down. Cities, straining under overpopulation, deal with water issues, underemployment and all the subsequent social issues due to poverty.

The traditional diet of freshly made tortilla, beans, meat, and salsas—all products offered in the markets-- offered daily supplements of protein and vegetables. But buying largely imported products from the grocery store dramatically changes diet. Replacing traditional foods for their imported counterparts supplants the nutrients found in beans, vegetables and tortilla with products high in oils, sugars, and preservatives. The obesity rate in Mexico has risen as a result. Diabetes, its nefarious counterpart, trails weight gain and causes countless secondary health problems. Teeth problems caused by sugar mount as well.

Food choice, undoubtedly, gives consumers a great deal of freedom. Free trade and globalization offer astounding conveniences and add to the gross national product: it is not without its positive side. However, open markets in Mexico have inadvertently helped increase migration and contribute to the breakdown of the family, unemployment, and other societal ills. In addition, many health problems due to imported foods are radically affecting millions of Mexicans. Clearly, economic policy drives far-reaching cultural changes.