Have you ever been to a Mexican restaurant and heard or seen somewhere in the restaurant that the food is authentic? Why do they say it is authentic? I have found that many Mexican restaurants I have eaten at claim to get their food directly from Mexico.

This got me thinking about what food is imported from Mexico? How much does the U.S rely on food imports from Mexico? What is exported to Mexico from the U.S.?

According to the U.S Department of Commerce, "Mexico is a great place to do business."Mexico was even named the Market of the Month for February 2007.

Also, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce Processed Food Report for 2006, five countries accounted for 52% of the U.S. imports of processed food in 2005. In exports, five countries accounted for 62% for the United States. Mexico was second behind Canada in both.

An increase of 87% of processed food exports to Canada and Mexico from the U.S. was $12 billion from 1997 to 2005. This was do to the North American Free Trade Agreement also known as NAFTA. This agreement has had much influence in increasing exports and imports between Mexico and Canada and the U.S.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture the best markets for processed food exports from the U.S. to Mexico are:
fish and seafood, processed fruits and vegetables, dairy products, snack foods, red meats, poultry meat, eggs and products, soybean meal, soybean oil and wheat flour.



The major imports from Mexico to the U.S. are:
beer, fruits and preparations, peppers, livestock and animal products, vegetables and preparations, tomatoes, other beverages excluding fruit juice and other agricultural products. This accounts for three-fourths agricultural imports to the U.S.




The United States is one of Mexico's most significant agriculture food trading partner. The U.S. buys roughly 85% of Mexico's exports and 65% of the imports. Mexico accounts for about 15% of both U.S agricultural exports and imports in 2005. It has become the third largest agricultural partner of the U.S. since the 1980s according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

According to the report, "As the U.S. population becomes increasingly ethically diverse, consumer demand for food products also diversifies. Hispanic population continues to grow rapidly and precessed food companies are developing new products for this population. Some retailers and supermarkets now cater specifically to Hispanic populations. Also, many traditionally ethnic foods products are crossing over to the mainstream population."


It turns out Mexico is a heavy resource for many food products in this country and I guess what I see in restaurants is true!Much of our food does come from Mexico.

The graphs are from: U.S. Department of Agriculture Website