During Lent, a period in which Catholics usually refrain from eating meat on Fridays and during Holy Week, it is common to opt for consuming fish and seafood. According to researchers, there are two versions that explain this tradition. One suggests that red meat used to be more expensive, while fish was considered more accessible. The other reason is based on the belief that red meat was impure in comparison to aquatic animals, which were seen as less contaminated because they lived in the ocean or rivers.
During a conference, the Federal Consumer Prosecutor's Office (Profeco) presented recommendations on where to purchase fish and seafood for Lent. They conducted monitoring of 115 varieties of these products, finding 323 establishments with maximum and minimum prices. Some of the purchasing suggestions they provided are the following:
- Fish Bandera at 75 pesos per kilo at the La Viga branch. - Basa fillet at 80 pesos per kilo at Pescadería Mar Calzada de la Viga. - Bulk shrimp at 248 pesos per kilo at the Iztapalapa supply center. - Small Jurel fish at 50 pesos per kilo at the Ecatepec supply center.
On the other hand, they identified establishments where the same products have a higher cost, such as Fish Bandera at 100 pesos per kilo at the San Juan Revolution market, Basa fillet at 150 pesos at Pescadería El Mangle, bulk shrimp at 499 pesos at Soriana Hyper, and small Jurel fish at 99 pesos at Pescadería El Pescador.
In addition to the price, Profeco recommended paying attention to the freshness of the foods by checking aspects such as the appearance of the scales, the consistency of the meat, and the transparency of the eyes. They suggest consuming the fish the same day of purchase and choosing the establishment based not only on cost but also on the availability of proper equipment to keep the products fresh, such as refrigerators and freezers. They also highlighted the importance of utilizing all parts of the fish when purchasing.
