The tortilla loses its throne: a national drama with a carbohydrate flavor
Make yourself comfortable, because I’m going to tell you the story of an epic breakup, one that hurts more than a habanero pepper in the eye: Mexico is giving ghosting to the tortilla. Yes, that corn record that has sustained us through the good times, the bad times and the raw times. It turns out that in 2024, Mexican households decided that their love for the tortilla was no longer so unconditional and they cut their budget by 8% less compared to 2022. And the most ironic thing: while they took away spending on the tortilla, the total budget for food rose by 7%. Basically, we’re putting heart to a “it’s you, it’s not me” message to our sacred food.
To give you an idea of the magnitude of the drama, of the seven food groups analyzed by the Agricultural Market Consulting Group (GCMA), based on ultra-formal data from Inegi, the tortilla was the only one that came out with a negative balance. Average national spending plummeted to 36 billion pesos per quarter last year. It’s as if the entire republic had agreed to buy fewer tortillas and more… well, we’ll talk about that later.
The price of tradition and the invasion of bimbo bread
The reasons for this collective betrayal? According to experts, it is a deadly combo: the tortilla became more expensive than a Bad Bunny concert, the competition with other carbohydrates such as bread and pasta is closer than a battle of tweets, and there is a generational change that prefers delivery over cooking. In other words, the perfect trifecta for consumption to plummet.
Juan Carlos Anaya, the director of the consulting firm, summed it up with the crudeness of a medical diagnosis: “The tortilla continues to be the basic food of Mexico, but it has lost centrality.” Translation: we still love her, but she is no longer our priority. It consumes less, is more expensive and has to compete on carbohydrate Tinder with tough rivals. The increase in prices has made even the highest deciles think twice before filling the grocery bag.
And be careful, because this is not a class issue. The analysis divides Mexican households into ten deciles according to their income, and guess what: everyone, from the one who earns for the pure tortilla to the one who could buy a tortilleria, spent less. The tortilla now only represents 6.9% of total spending on food and beverages, the lowest level on record (since 2006, to be exact). Numbers that hurt more than stepping on Lego barefoot.
But don’t worry, all is not lost. This does not mean that the tortilla is going to disappear (that would be the Mexican apocalypse), but rather that our habits are evolving. Or degenerating, depending on how you see it. Food diversification and the sad reality of ultra-processed products are gaining ground on nixtamalized corn. It’s easier to open a package of boxed bread than to wait in line at the tortilla shop, isn’t it?
Anyway, the next time you see a tortilla, give it the respect it deserves. It is fighting a pitched battle against inflation, changing customs and generational laziness. And although its consumption has fallen, it remains the undisputed queen of Mexican cuisine… although it now shares the throne with pasta and bread. Which side are you on? Team tortilla or team alternative carbohydrate?
Did this data surprise you? Share it on your networks and tag that friend who always defends the flour tortilla! And if you want more analysis on how we Mexicans eat, explore our related content. The food revolution will not tell itself.
