Supermarkets in Puerto Rico have faced electric bill increases of up to 39% between September and October, said Manuel Reyes-Alfonso, executive vice president of the Multisectorial de la Industria de Alimentos (MIDA), in an interview on Normando en la Mañana. He said the October bill rose almost 39% compared with the previous month, and that the average supermarket pays $5,000 to $6,000 more per month for electricity alone.
He attributed the increase mainly to the fuel adjustment charge applied since the summer. Reyes-Alfonso explained that supermarkets are among the highest energy consumers because of refrigeration, and warned that the cost ends up passed on to product prices. "It’s a heavy blow," he said, adding that the matter will be discussed at a virtual meeting of industry members.
On cyberattack risk to refrigeration systems, he said the industry has monitored the issue since the first reported incident, but it is not a widespread concern: he was told fewer than 10% of supermarkets have online systems, and mainly large chains manage equipment remotely. He said the real risk is consumers’ purchasing power, not food availability.
Shoppers are dropping non-essential items and relying more on weekly sales; MIDA has documented that following the circulars can save about 20% on a purchase, and egg prices are down over 20% from a year ago. He said he had no particular information on possible chain bankruptcies. He called for immediate relief, including reducing or eliminating the fuel excise tax known as "la crudita" and the inventory tax applied to fuel, noting that multiple Senate hearings have produced no decision.