Consumer Protection

José Enrique Santos, a former head of consumer protection, says he finds the government's plan to deregulate prices on basic-basket items highly damaging to ordinary Hondurans.

Consumer Protection Director Daniel Lou warned that inspectors will penalize merchants charging more than the agreed 8-lempira (about $0.32) cap per carton of eggs above the previous price, after authorities detected some sellers exceeding the limit set with producers representing 80% of the market.

The director of Consumer Protection said inspectors are conducting volume tests at fuel stations to verify that gas pumps dispense the stated amount, and checking that LPG cylinders contain correct volumes and that the diesel tax cut is applied countrywide.

Consumer Protection director Danilo Lou announced that five businesses will be fined for selling expired or spoiled food and failing to apply mandatory senior discounts during the Morazánica holiday week, with fine amounts still to be determined after inspectors assess the violations.

Honduras's Special Consumer Protection and Elder Affairs Office is conducting three days of inspections across Tegucigalpa in markets, restaurants, pharmacies, and transport to verify prices, senior discounts, quality standards, and food safety conditions.

The Public Prosecutor's Office is conducting 12 nationwide enforcement operations during Morazán Week to verify fair pricing, senior-citizen discounts, sanitary conditions in stores and transit, and compliance with regulations protecting consumer rights and health.

Darwin Ponce, president of the consumer advocacy group Artículo 19, says Honduras lacks adequate fuel-storage capacity, forcing weekly purchases at current prices instead of buying in bulk when prices are lower.

Congressman Carlos Umaña proposed legislation to shield gamblers and their families from losing property and savings through uncontrolled betting at casinos and gaming establishments, including a mechanism for voluntary self-exclusion.

Darwin Ponce, head of Honduras's Artículo 19 consumer-protection association, disputed claims of a genuine fuel subsidy, saying the government has not disclosed which budget line funds it and rejected relying on foreign companies for short-term relief instead of pursuing futures purchases and a petroleum stabilization fund.

The National Congress established a working group with legislators and government officials to investigate rising prices in essential foods and household goods, identify speculative pricing, and determine legal penalties for unjustified increases.

Honduras's consumer protection agency activated a free hotline (115) and online reporting platform following investigations by El Heraldo Plus and La Prensa Premium that exposed clinics Nueva Med and Medisan for deceiving patients with false diagnoses and unnecessary treatments.

Honduras's Public Ministry is investigating Centro Médico Centroamericano in Tegucigalpa for allegedly using uncertified scanning equipment to issue false disease diagnoses, charging patients over 5,000 lempiras (about $200) for bogus results and expensive treatments.

A biomedical engineer analyzed the quantum resonance analyzer used at fraudulent clinics in Honduras and concluded the device operates randomly with no scientific basis, unable to diagnose disease from placing a hand on a sensor.

Banking regulator CNBS Commissioner Nicolás García warns that scammers prey on victims by creating artificial urgency and promising unrealistic returns, urging consumers to verify CNBS authorization and never share banking credentials.

The criminal investigation agency and consumer protection prosecutor inspected Nueva Med clinic after investigative reports documented it offering free consultations and diagnosing patients with unproven bioquantum devices, then pressuring them into expensive treatments costing over 5,000 lempiras.

Honduras's consumer protection director clarified that providers are legally required to give consumers clear, accurate, and complete information about products and services, and that false or misleading claims — including unsubstantiated health benefits or hidden charges — violate the consumer protection law.

Honduras's Public Ministry has opened investigations into Medisan in San Pedro Sula and Nueva Med in Tegucigalpa, both accused of issuing false diagnoses to persuade patients to purchase expensive treatments, following a La Prensa inquiry that documented the clinics' practices.

La Prensa's undercover investigation reveals that Medisan, a clinic operating without a valid health license in a San Pedro Sula shopping center, uses fraudulent quantum-resonance devices to diagnose fictitious diseases and sell fake natural remedies, targeting vulnerable customers with credit cards.

The National Congress approved a motion by Liberal lawmaker Yury Sabas calling for regulators including the Central Bank, CNBS, and the Financial Crimes Unit to meet with congressional committees to analyze monthly interest rates of up to 5–10% charged by informal lenders and propose protective measures.

A congresswoman introduced legislation to create a professional college for Honduras's insurance brokers, saying it would restore labor protections and establish oversight to protect consumers and ensure market transparency in an industry that generated 21.2 billion lempiras in annual premiums in early 2026.

Restaurants and comedores in the capital are selling tortillas for up to L2 (about $0.08) per unit, double the regulated maximum price of L1, while tortilla factories say they sell to retailers at L0.67, leaving consumer-protection authorities to enforce compliance.

Honduras's banking and insurance regulator alerts the public to fraudulent messages falsely claiming to be from the CNBS and requesting identity verification, data updates, or biometric validation to unlock financial products.

Honduras's consumer-protection committee (CODECOH) will begin price-monitoring raids in Tegucigalpa this week, warning that shops charging above official prices will face legal penalties.

Honduras's Consumer Protection directorate says it has conducted over 7,000 inspections in four months, detecting expired merchandise and card surcharges, while publishing weekly reference prices from wholesale markets to curb price speculation on basic goods.

Economist Amparo Canales welcomed fuel price reductions as temporary relief but stressed that savings must translate into lower consumer prices broadly, urging authorities to monitor for pricing abuses.

Congressman Frank Alley introduced a proposal to amend consumer-protection law requiring landlords, vehicle-rental companies, and private schools to charge in lempiras rather than dollars, arguing that these sectors do not require foreign-currency operations and that dollar pricing inflates costs for consumers.