The Government of Mexico, through the “Alimentación para el Bienestar” (Food for Well-being) program, officially introduced “Chocolate Bienestar,” a fair-trade product made with cacao sourced from Tabasco and northern Chiapas. This 100% Mexican chocolate will be available in bar, powder, and traditional table formats, free of preservatives and artificial sweeteners, as part of an initiative to promote healthy eating and support local producers.
During the morning press conference, President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo announced that the product will be distributed through approximately 26,000 Tiendas del Bienestar (Well-being Stores) to be established in the country’s most remote areas. The goal is to ensure access to healthy, high-quality products at affordable prices while directly supporting small-scale agroecological producers.
“This is a fair market model where small producers sell their cacao, which is then transformed into chocolate, distributed through the Tiendas del Bienestar, and eventually purchased again by the producers. This cycle promotes justice, health, and well-being,” Sheinbaum explained, emphasizing that the chocolate contains between 30% and 50% cacao—significantly higher than the commercial average.
María Luisa Albores González, head of the Alimentación para el Bienestar program, detailed the product offerings:
- Chocolate Bar: Priced at 14 pesos, containing 50% cacao, 10% cacao butter, and 35% cane sugar.
- Chocolate Powder: Fortified with vitamins, priced at 38 pesos.
- Table Chocolate: Priced at 96 pesos, containing 35% cacao, cinnamon, and cane sugar.
To date, the program has collected 355,593 tons of food products, including maize, beans, coffee, cacao, and honey, with an investment exceeding 101 billion pesos. This initiative has benefited 36,879 producers, including 4,630 participants from the “Sembrando Vida” (Sowing Life) program focused on coffee and cacao cultivation.
