Data_Sheet_1_Trends in food and beverage purchases in informal, mixed, and formal food outlets in Mexico: ENIGH 1994–2020.docx

BackgroundThe retail food environment in Mexico is characterized by the co-existence of both, formal and informal food outlets. Yet, the contribution of these outlets to food purchases over time has not been documented. Understanding the longitudinal trends where Mexican households purchase their foods is critical for the development of future food retail policies.MethodsWe used data from Mexico’s National Income and Expenditure Survey from 1994 to 2020. We categorized food outlets as formal (supermarkets, chain convenience stores, restaurants), informal (street markets, street vendors, acquaintances), and mixed (fiscally regulated or not. i.e., small neighborhood stores, specialty stores, public markets). We calculated the proportion of food and beverage purchases by food outlet for each survey for the overall sample and stratified by education level and urbanicity.ResultsIn 1994, the highest proportion of food purchases was from mixed outlets, represented by specialty and small neighborhood stores (53.7%), and public markets (15.9%), followed by informal outlets (street vendors and street markets) with 12.3%, and formal outlets from which supermarkets accounted for 9.6%. Over time, specialty and small neighborhood stores increased 4.7 percentage points (p.p.), while public markets decreased 7.5 p.p. Street vendors and street markets decreased 1.6 p.p., and increased 0.5 p.p. for supermarkets. Convenience stores contributed 0.5% at baseline and increased to 1.3% by 2020. Purchases at specialty stores mostly increased in higher socioeconomic levels (13.2 p.p.) and metropolitan cities (8.7 p.p.) while public markets decreased the most in rural households and lower socioeconomic levels (6.0 p.p. & 5.3 p.p.). Supermarkets and chain convenience stores increased the most in rural localities and small cities.ConclusionIn conclusion, we observed an increase in food purchases from the formal sector, nonetheless, the mixed sector remains the predominant food source in Mexico, especially small-neighborhood stores. This is concerning, since these outlets are mostly supplied by food industries. Further, the decrease in purchases from public markets could imply a reduction in the consumption of fresh produce. In order to develop retail food environment policies in Mexico, the historical and predominant role of the mixed sector in food purchases needs to be acknowledged.

背景墨西哥的零售食品环境以正式与非正式食品销售点的共存为特征。然而，这些销售点随时间对食品购买所做的贡献尚未得到记录。了解墨西哥家庭在食品购买方面的纵向趋势对于制定未来的食品零售政策至关重要。
方法我们使用了1994年至2020年墨西哥国民收入与支出调查的数据。我们将食品销售点分为正式类别（超市、连锁便利店、餐馆）、非正式类别（街市、街头小贩、熟人）以及混合类别（财政监管与否，即小型社区商店、专卖店、公共市场）。我们计算了每个调查中食品和饮料购买在食品销售点中的比例，包括总体样本以及按教育水平和城市化程度分层。
结果在1994年，食品购买比例最高的是混合销售点，其中以专卖店和小型社区商店（53.7%）及公共市场（15.9%）为代表，其次是非正式销售点（街头小贩和街市），比例为12.3%，正式销售点中超市占比为9.6%。随着时间的推移，专卖店和小型社区商店的比例上升了4.7个百分点，而公共市场下降了7.5个百分点，街头小贩和街市分别下降了1.6个百分点，上升了0.5个百分点，超市则上升了0.5个百分点。便利店在基线时的贡献为0.5%，到2020年增至1.3%。在较高社会经济水平的家庭以及大都市中，专卖店的销售量主要增加（13.2个百分点），而公共市场的销售量在乡村家庭和较低社会经济水平的家庭中下降最为显著（6.0个百分点和5.3个百分点）。超市和连锁便利店在乡村地区和小城市中的增长最为显著。
结论综上所述，我们观察到正式部门食品购买的增多，尽管如此，混合部门仍为墨西哥的主要食品来源，尤其是小型社区商店。这一点令人担忧，因为这些销售点大多由食品产业供应。此外，公共市场购买量的下降可能意味着新鲜农产品消费的减少。为了在墨西哥制定零售食品环境政策，必须认识到混合部门在食品购买中的历史和主导作用。