Price freeze on groceries has Texans shopping in Mexico

08:46 PM CDT on Sunday, June 22, 2008

By ANGELA KOCHERGA
KVUE News

It seems there is no relief in sight for those high prices at the grocery store … unless you live on the border. In Mexico, the government has frozen prices on many items, and some Texans are filling their carts.

The S-Mart in Juarez guarantees customers never have to wait in long lines to checkout. Now, the grocery store can also guarantee prices won’t go up on many food items, thanks to a price freeze by Mexico’s president that’s designed to help his country cope with a global food crisis.

The price freeze covers 150 common food items, such as cooking oil, flour, coffee and canned tuna.

It’s possible because of a pact between Mexico’s president and food manufacturers who agreed not to raise price items for the rest of the year.

Grocery stores up and down the border anticipate a boost in sales, this as Americans fleeing high food prices in the U.S. simply come to Mexico to shop and to stretch their dollars.

Karla Villado of El Paso plans to do more shopping in Mexico, thanks to the price freeze.

“We always come every other week so we can get all our foods because it's cheaper over here,â€