Sheinbaum Launches Food for Well-Being to Support Small Producers

President Claudia Sheinbaum announced in September the creation of Alimentos para el Bienestar (Food for Well-Being). This new government entity, which arises from the merger of Seguridad Alimentaria Mexicana (SEGALMEX) and Diconsa, aims to unify efforts in the commercialization of agricultural products and improve connections with small producers.

The president highlighted that the issues SEGALMEX faced in the previous administration stemmed mainly from operating with three separate units (Diconsa, Liconsa, and SEGALMEX). Under this new model, the focus will remain on guaranteed prices, and efforts will be centralized to achieve more efficient management and better control of resources.

Former President López Obrador created SEGALMEX in January 2019 by merging Diconsa and Liconsa. The organization, however, became embroiled in multiple corruption scandals starting in 2020 due to fund mismanagement and irregularities in payments to suppliers. According to Roberto Salcedo, Minister of Public Function, audits conducted between 2019 and 2020 identified potential damages amounting to MX$9.5 billion (US$489 million). However, other sources claim the loss was greater, exceeding MX$15 billion.

President Sheinbaum explained that Diconsa stores will be renamed as Tiendas del Bienestar (Shops for Well-Being). Moreover, she emphasized that efforts are underway to connect small agricultural producers with these stores to strengthen ties between commercialization and production, particularly for key products such as coffee, beans, cocoa, and honey.

Representatives from various regions welcomed the news with optimism. Enrique Roblero, Coordinator, Sembrando Vida cooperatives in Tapachula, Chiapas, highlighted that this merger could open marketing opportunities for producers in over 24,000 stores nationwide. Roblero noted that small producers are typically excluded from grocery marketing systems because department stores block or deny access to products from rural communities. "The right to sell is denied, and only large agribusiness corporations benefit. That is why opening spaces for marketing is so important," he added.

The coordinator explained that there are over 1,000 Diconsa stores in Chiapas. With this new policy, they plan to create a network of stores with short distribution circuits. He added that products from one region could be sold in another. For instance, chocolate or cocoa is rarely consumed in the Sierra region simply because it does not reach that area. However, with consistent distribution systems in place, many SMEs could be included in these networks.

Food for Well-Being will be headed by María Luisa Albores, who served as Environment Minister during López Obrador's administration. Albores is an agricultural engineer from Universidad Autónoma Chapingo, specializing in Tropical Zones with a focus on Sustainable Coffee Farming. Additionally, she spent over 10 years working with indigenous organizations, particularly in the Sierra Norte de Puebla.