Anyone popping into Lidl in Spain today could notice something different on the shelves, as the supermarket introduces a major change to part of its own-brand range. The change came into effect on Friday, August 14, and affects Lidl’s own-brand food aimed at younger consumers.

The supermarket says the products are being brought into line with new nutritional requirements, with the changes being introduced across its stores in 30 countries. The company says it wants to make it easier for shoppers to find products that meet its nutritional standards without having to scrutinise every label.

New nutritional requirements take effect

Lidl says its own-brand food products covered by the initiative must meet the nutritional criteria established by the World Health Organization (WHO), alongside the supermarket’s own requirements. That means shoppers may find that some familiar products have different nutritional compositions from previous versions. The changes affect products including pasta, fish fingers, cereals and corn snacks. 

The supermarket has linked the move to its broader aim of making healthier choices easier rather than expecting customers to work through nutritional information on every product before deciding what to put in their trolley. Lidl’s Stefan Haensel, responsible for Quality & Sustainability, said the company wanted to make choosing suitable products easier for families.

What will shoppers see on shelves?

The changes will not mean every Lidl product is being reformulated. The initiative applies to the supermarket’s own-brand range covered by its nutritional requirements. Some of the products will also feature Paw Patrol branding as part of a promotional collaboration linked to Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie. The campaign is expected to run for around ten weeks.

The branding is designed to make the products more appealing to younger shoppers, while the nutritional reformulation is intended to meet the standards Lidl has set for the range. For customers, the most noticeable difference will therefore be the products appearing on shelves rather than a change to the way Lidl stores operate. There is no indication that shoppers will need to change how they pay, use Lidl’s stores or access its usual services.

Lidl is changing the recipes

The supermarket’s move goes beyond simply putting new packaging on existing products. Lidl says the relevant own-brand products have been reformulated to meet its nutritional criteria. The company has presented the changes as part of its effort to improve the nutritional profile of the food it sells.

The approach is being applied across Lidl’s operations in 30 countries, making it a wider private-label policy rather than a change limited to Spain. For Spanish shoppers, however, the practical effect is straightforward: some products in the relevant section will gradually appear in their updated versions.

Why Lidl says it is making the change

Lidl’s stated aim is to remove some of the difficulty involved in choosing food with a more favourable nutritional profile. The supermarket says it is combining the WHO criteria with its own nutritional standards when developing the products covered by the policy.

The company has described the approach as a way of making the choice easier rather than relying entirely on customers to compare products themselves.That is also where Lidl’s “Queremos ponértelo más fácil” message comes in. The phrase, which translates as “We want to make it easier for you”, is being used to explain the reasoning behind the changes.

The change is already underway

Customers should not expect the entire relevant range to disappear overnight. The reformulated products are being introduced as part of the new requirements, meaning shoppers may encounter a mixture of existing and updated products while the transition takes place. The Paw Patrol promotion will also be temporary, with the collaboration expected to last approximately ten weeks.

The nutritional requirements, however, represent the more significant part of the announcement because they concern how Lidl develops its own-brand products. For shoppers in Spain, there is therefore no need to make any change at the checkout or adapt to a new Lidl store system.

The difference will be found on the shelves, where some of the supermarket’s own-brand products are being replaced by versions that Lidl says meet its updated nutritional requirements. And while the change is aimed at making food choices easier, the immediate question for shoppers will simply be whether their usual products look the same when they next visit Lidl.

Velez-Malaga Town Hall has finally wrapped up its 2025 accounts with a healthy positive balance of over €9 million. This surplus builds on last year’s solid figures and gives the council room to take on new financial commitments without squeezing residents.

Council covers full water tariff jump

One of the first moves will see the town hall fully absorb a 40 per cent rise in the wholesale water price charged by supplier Axaragua. Councillors confirm this extra cost will not appear on household bills. Residents across the different parts of the municipality can therefore keep budgeting as normal for an essential service that has faced repeated pressure in recent years.

The increase comes after more than a decade without any tariff review and includes pending inflation adjustments dating back to 2015. A temporary surcharge linked to bringing water from Malaga during the recent drought and problems at La Vinuela reservoir has been added on top.

Council resources from the surplus will cover the whole rise. Exact figures for the outlay remain unclear in the official statement, yet the decision ranks among the earliest uses of the leftover funds and shows a clear priority for protecting local pockets.

Axaragua’s price adjustment reflects both long-delayed contractual updates and the practical costs of securing supply when local reservoirs ran low. By stepping in completely, the town hall prevents any pass-on of that cost that would have hit families, self-employed people and businesses at a time when many already watch every euro.

Paying down bank debt next

A second major step involves amortising loans held with financial institutions. Extra cash in hand creates greater flexibility to cut outstanding obligations while still leaving capacity for new investment projects across the town. Reducing the debt burden frees up future budgets and lowers interest costs over time.

Local leaders describe the closed accounts as evidence of sound money management. Income now covers everyday services and generates enough spare capacity for extra commitments that benefit the whole area. Careful planning of public resources has produced this stronger position, allowing ordinary running costs to be met while still generating room for meaningful action on both water charges and longer-term liabilities.

Residents should notice no change in their water charges even as wholesale prices climb, and the council gains breathing space to chip away at its debt load. Further details on exact allocations for the water subsidy and the scale of debt repayments are expected once formal decisions are finalised in the coming weeks.

Motril’s busy docks are set for a strong finish to summer as 23 cruise ships bring more than 47,000 passengers and a matching number of crew between June and September. Port bosses say the figures are testimony to the Granada facility’s growing reputation as a favoured Mediterranean stop-off, even though summer still counts as the quieter part of the year for most cruises.

Spring and autumn usually deliver the biggest crowds, a pattern that spreads the economic gains more evenly and helps avoid the usual tourist overcrowding. Local restaurants, shops, taxi firms, tour operators and cultural sites across Motril, the Costa Tropical and the wider Granada province all pick up extra custom when ships are in. Many visitors leave with a good impression and come back later under their own steam.

Summer calls still pack a punch

José García Fuentes, president of the Motril Port Authority, put it plainly: “These summer figures show cruise tourism is becoming an ever more valuable asset for the port and, above all, for our destination. Every call means more people discovering Motril, the Costa Tropical and Granada.”
Norwegian Dawn leads the pack with 18 of the 23 scheduled summer visits, giving the town a regular weekly boost. Full details of the season’s early planning appear in an earlier Euro Weekly News report on the port’s ambitious 2026 outlook.

Push for balanced, year-round tourism

Port managers stress they want sustainable growth that keeps the experience enjoyable rather than overcrowded. García Fuentes noted that cruise passengers often turn into longer-stay visitors and help promote the area during quieter months.

Historic totals expected by year end

Cruises started in April and run through until November. By the close of the year Motril expects 68 ship calls, 123,997 passengers and 53,660 crew – a clear record that continues the upward trend of recent seasons. Official updates sit on the Port Authority’s own site at apmotril.com.

These numbers go to show how cruise traffic now acts as a useful engine for spreading economic activity beyond the peak summer weeks, giving restaurants, transport and tourism services a steadier flow of custom right across the calendar.