PROFECO

The Procuraduría Federal del Consumidor (PROFECO; Federal Consumer Protection Agency) is an agency of the Mexican government headed by the federal consumer attorney. Mexico became the second Latin American country to enact a federal consumer protection law on February 5, 1976, and later became the first to establish a dedicated consumer protection agency. By 1982, the agency had 32 offices, one in each federative entity of Mexico. PROFECO now has 51 offices nationwide, and its main headquarters are in Mexico City. The most recent reform to the federal law was signed by President Enrique Peña Nieto in early 2018. PROFECO works with organizations such as the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada to help ensure that imported products are safe for consumers. In February 2018, representatives of the three agencies met in the United States to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU). Through this agreement, the three countries committed to improving the safety and quality of imported products for consumers in North and South America. PROFECO was represented at the meeting by attorney Rogelio Cerda Pérez, who had served as federal consumer attorney since August 2017.