THE MEXICAN HOG INDUSTRY: MOVING BEYOND 2003

B. Meat Consumption in Mexico

Per capita pork consumption in Mexico has undergone a great change over
the last 25 years. After peaking at nearly 35 pounds per year in 1982, per
capita pork consumption in Mexico started to decline in the face of
competition from broiler meat and the diminished purchasing power of
Mexican consumers. Recent estimates show that chicken is now the most
consumed meat in Mexico, followed by beef and then pork (table 1). Total
per capita meat consumption in Mexico is about 44 percent of the U.S. level
and 57 percent of the Canadian level.

Table 1 -- Mexican and U.S. Meat
Consumption by Type of Meat, 2000

Although per capita pork consumption in Mexico is not as high as it was in
the past, there is still tremendous potential for consumption growth in order
to fulfill the nutritional requirements of the Mexican population. Due to
population growth and increased per capita consumption, total pork
consumption grew more than 23 percent between 1994 and 2002 (fig. 1).
Since Mexican pork production grew only 17 percent over the same period,
the importance of imports is obvious. In 2002, imports supplied close to 30
percent of Mexican pork consumption, compared with 27 percent in 1994.

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