A flood of mosquitoes sweeps through Buenos Aires, a scourge that promises to linger for weeks. They bite relentlessly, carrying a shadow of dengue. Men, women, and children find themselves locked in a rough, uneven battle against the invaders. They hear the buzzing and rush to supermarkets to buy insect repellent, only to face prices that have surged as much as 170 percent since December. Yet in many cases the familiar brands are priced out of reach or gone from shelves first—bought by other desperate shoppers. The question emerges: what can be done? For many, the only option is to turn to what are known as “second brands,” cheaper products that sometimes fail to meet essential standards, prompting regulatory action by ANMAT when they fall short of the necessary requirements.
That second-brand reality is a snapshot of an Argentina grappling with 57.4 percent poverty and the looming threat of slipping deeper into hardship. When money runs short, not only repellents but basic staples like milk, cheese, pasta, and rice, plus cleaning products, cosmetics, and even clothing, small appliances ranked in lower tiers, appear as alternatives and small comforts. For some, this is a painful testament to a purchasing power that has cratered under the weight of economic pressures.
In mid-December, the government implemented a 118 percent devaluation of the national currency, which worsened conditions that were already dire: millions more fell into poverty, inflation surged, and the cost of living climbed month by month. January brought a higher pace of inflation, and quarterly averages show a lingering drag on real earnings. Small and medium-sized businesses reported sharp declines in January sales, while formal wages, already strained, showed continued erosion. The home market’s slowdown helped push the second-brand market back into the spotlight, bearing the burden of consumers who must stretch every peso to survive. Without the prestige of a trusted barcode, the second brands re-entered the market with renewed, forceful presence, driven by necessity rather than choice.
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From Crisis to Crisis
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The ongoing crisis is just another stop in a country that feels it through every season. Each flare-up triggers a familiar scramble as inflation pummels the middle class and precarious workers alike. Budgets tighten. Shopping habits shift. Streaming services are cut, private healthcare and private schooling are reconsidered, and even small pleasures like a daily coffee or a casual beer become luxuries. Routine meals, once abundant, feel increasingly like a careful ritual, with a kilogram of tomatoes sometimes replaced by one or two smaller purchases to make ends meet.
Under these pressures, second-brand products gain ground. In 2019, a political figure used a pejorative term to describe these items, highlighting a long-standing debate about which products people should buy. The label reflected a moment of political framing: the idea that during certain administrations, consumers chose branded, premium goods over more affordable alternatives. The lesson argued here is that political shifts can rapidly realign consumer behavior toward cheaper staples when affordability is the central concern.
Buying What Can Be Afforded
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The governance faced criticism for its performance, and second-brand options increasingly became the default for many facing tightening budgets. Danone, a major dairy and yogurt producer, acknowledged this trend in 2021 and introduced a more affordable line of yogurts and milks. Other food brands followed suit, and so did supermarket chains across the market. The shift in consumer behavior appeared less a choice and more a response to persistent inflation and constrained incomes.
Before the ascent of a new administration, roughly 80 percent of the population had already changed purchasing habits due to inflation. Since then, conditions have deteriorated. A mosaic of living standards persists across the country: households with formal employment, informal workers who rely on support, and those facing the brink of destitution. The minimum wage continues to be a focal point of policy as families struggle to cover essentials. Even second brands, once a last resort, have become inaccessible for many as prices move higher and supply chains become unstable. In some neighborhoods, what used to be a mark of scarcity has now become a blunt indicator of economic reality, a stigma of not being able to buy basic goods like a repellent or a liter of milk.