Absolutely. In addition to Mexico, we own and operate facilities in eight countries in Central America and South America. Here too, our efforts are driven by our dedication to our employees and their families. Through them, we come to know and understand each community's distinct needs and seek to meet those needs through the same kinds of social, environmental, and cultural initiatives that have characterized our company for more than a century.

Over the years, we have acted on this philosophy by maintaining a healthy and respectful work environment; by offering health services, housing loans, and a savings fund to our employees; and by providing opportunities for personal and professional development through training, cultural, and recreational programs.

We enrich the communities in which we operate by, among others, fostering the growth of our employees and business partners and supporting institutions and activities that improve quality of life. Over the past five years, we have given approximately Ps.150 million (US$13.5 million) to educational, cultural, environmental, philanthropic, and social welfare institutions; we allocated 90 percent of that amount to educational initiatives.

We play an important role in the Mexican economy as well as the economies of the other countries in which we do business. In 2005 FEMSA contributed with 37.5% in the production of the beverage industry in Mexico, and consumed 9 percent of the sugar and 22 percent of the barley produced by the country's agricultural sector. We directly employ more than 88,000 people, and our businesses indirectly generate an additional 136,000 jobs in other sectors. In addition, in 2004 we supported more than 237,000 microentrepreneurs in Mexico through infrastructure and management training, furniture and equipment, and promotional and point-of-sale materials.

We believe that people of all levels of ability deserve the opportunity to grow and develop to their full potential. Through our hiring practices, and in particular our Program for Workplace Integration of People with Different Abilities, we seek to recruit and hire people with disabilities and support Mexico's Labor Integration for People with Disabilities. Mexico's Secretary of Labor recognized our efforts by awarding FEMSA the Inclusive Company Award in 2004. We have also been recognized as an employer of choice by Expansión and América Economía magazines.

Our environmental policy includes the following principles:

• Innovation in our operations through environmentally friendly technologies
• Continuous training of associates in techniques designed to protect the environment
• Active encouragement of environmental leadership among our associates
• Constant awareness of opportunities to reduce our environmental impacts and use of natural resources through efficiency, innovation, and performance monitoring