If you have started leaving things off your shopping list because the bill is getting too high, you are far from alone. Fresh food that once went into the trolley without much thought is becoming harder for some families to afford, and now a food-policy campaigner is asking whether shoppers should hit Spain’s biggest supermarket chains where it hurts, by refusing to buy from them for a week.

Javier Guzmán, director of Justicia Alimentaria, has raised the idea of a coordinated consumer boycott to demand lower prices for essential, healthy food. In an opinion article published by El Salto on October 11, he argues that families should not have to keep cutting back while the major players in the food supply chain retain the power to influence what people pay.  The proposal is not an announced nationwide strike, and no dates have been set. But it comes as food affordability remains a concern for households across Spain.

Food prices are changing what people buy

Food and non-alcoholic drinks in Spain are around 36 per cent more expensive than they were five years ago, according to the figures cited by Guzmán. Over the same period, wages have not kept pace with food-price increases.

The consequences go beyond shoppers choosing a cheaper brand. Guzmán points to national food-consumption data showing that more than half the population has significantly reduced its consumption of meat and fish. More than a quarter have cut back on fruit and eggs, while purchases of vegetables and dairy products have fallen by more than 10 per cent.

These figures matter because people are not simply spending less on treats. Reducing the amount of fresh food bought can make it harder to maintain a balanced diet, particularly for families already working within a tight budget. Guzmán argues that consumers are repeatedly being told to look for offers, change supermarkets or adapt their diets, while the structure of the food market receives less attention.

Why are supermarket margins part of the debate?

The campaigner points to figures from Spain’s Observatorio de Márgenes Empresariales, which draws on data from the Tax Agency and the Bank of Spain.

According to the figures cited in his article, the supermarket sector has reached record levels of turnover and margins, with margins averaging close to 8 per cent. The food manufacturing industry has maintained margins of around 10 to 11 per cent for at least three years.

These figures do not mean that every supermarket makes the same profit, or that margins alone explain food-price rises. However, Guzmán argues that they raise questions about how prices are formed across the supply chain and whether there is room to make essential food more affordable. His proposed boycott would seek to put pressure on large retailers to reduce their margins on basic, nutritious products.

What would a week without the big supermarkets look like?

The idea is for millions of people to avoid buying food from the major chains for one week, turning instead to municipal markets, independent neighbourhood shops, food cooperatives and local producers where possible. The aim would not simply be to move spending from one retailer to another. Participants would also call for a specific reduction in the price of a basket of healthy foods, making the demand clear to supermarket chains.

Guzmán acknowledges that a boycott alone would not transform the food system. Its potential value would be in showing that consumers can act together rather than each household struggling separately with rising bills. There is also a practical challenge: a boycott would need widespread participation to make a significant commercial impact, and there is no guarantee that retailers would respond by lowering prices.

The proposal for 100 healthy foods at fair prices

The boycott idea follows a separate initiative launched by Justicia Alimentaria on 22 September, called 100 alimentos saludables a precio justo, 100 healthy foods at a fair price.  The organisation wants major supermarket chains to offer a permanent basket of 100 essential, nutritious foods at cost price.

The proposed basket would include fruit, vegetables, pulses and other basic foods compatible with official healthy-eating recommendations. Justicia Alimentaria says the reduction should come from a limited part of retailers’ commercial margins, rather than lower payments to farmers, livestock producers or food suppliers. It also says the measure should not be financed with public money.

Can Spain follow France’s example?

The organisation is seeking support from consumer groups, health and social organisations, family associations, unions, environmental groups and agricultural representatives to build a wider coalition around the proposal. It points to a similar initiative in France, where 42 organisations from different sectors have come together to campaign for a basket of healthy foods at cost price, accompanied by a proposed legislative measure.

For Guzmán, the question is whether Spain can build comparable collective pressure to make healthy eating more affordable. For now, shoppers should not expect an organised boycott to begin on a particular date. The immediate campaign is a call to discuss and support fairer food prices, while the proposed week-long action remains an idea. Whether it becomes a coordinated movement will depend on whether consumers and organisations decide to take it further.

International visitors are discovering a different side of the Costa del Sol, travelling inland from Nerja and Torrox to explore the white villages, mountain scenery and traditions of Axarquia. And for investors in tourism-based business, this could be a game-changer.

Known as “slow tourism”, this approach focuses on experiencing a destination at a relaxed pace, meeting local people and learning about their customs rather than concentrating on beaches and the usual tourist attractions.

According to Oletrips, a company organising small-group excursions around the Axarquia and other parts of Andalucia, most of its customers come from abroad. British, Swedish, Irish, Canadian, German, Swiss and American visitors feature among its most frequent nationalities. The company says its typical customer is over 50 and has a particular interest in local culture, gastronomy, history and traditional ways of life.

Four white villages away from the coast

One of the excursions takes visitors to Archez, Canillas de Albaida, Salares and Sayalonga, four small municipalities where mountain landscapes and historic buildings offer a different perspective on Malaga province. The routes also explore the area’s Moorish heritage, helping visitors discover a history that can be overlooked during a conventional coastal holiday.

Activities go deeper than just sightseeing. Visitors can spend time with a goat herder, learn how beekeepers work or try making traditional village bread and roscos de vino, a sweet wine biscuit popular in Andalucia. These experiences give travellers an opportunity to learn about rural life directly from the people who continue to practise these traditions.

Autumn and winter bring visitors inland

Although the Malaga Province is strongly associated with summer holidays, Oletrips says autumn and winter are its busiest seasons for “slow tourism” excursions.

Many customers are foreigners who spend longer periods on the Costa del Sol, enjoying the milder climate outside the main summer season. Others stay in Nerja, Torrox and neighbouring resorts before taking trips into the countryside.

Some North American visitors travelling around Spain for several weeks also seek quieter destinations after visiting larger cities such as Madrid, Seville and Malaga. For the Axarquia’s smaller communities, this type of tourism offers another way to introduce visitors to the region beyond the coast, while bringing attention

Instead of spending Friday morning in the classroom, local teenagers took to the sand at Benajarafe beach, pulling nearly double last year’s rubbish haul off the coastline.

Students from secondary schools in Velez-Malaga and Cordoba took part in the clean-up on Friday, October 9 from 11am to 2pm, as part of the European Union’s #EUBeachCleanUp campaign.

A bigger haul than last year

Volunteers collected rubbish from the sand, then weighed and sorted it by type and likely origin. This year’s total of 65kg compares with 35kg gathered during the previous edition at La Cala del Moral, where finds included cigarette ends, fishing material and small pieces of plastic.

Benajarafe hosted the initiative for the first time in its fourth year, with earlier clean-ups taking place in Torrox, Algarrobo and Rincon de la Victoria, bringing the programme to different parts of the eastern Costa del Sol.

Why the beach clean-up matters

After the fieldwork, students attended an environmental awareness workshop on the value of the marine environment and the impact of waste on coastal ecosystems. Organisers wanted the day to go beyond filling bags, helping young people see how litter on land can affect the sea.

Jesus Maria Claros, Malaga provincial council’s deputy for European resources, said: “Marine pollution starts on land, which is why environmental education is the first tool for protecting our coastline.”

Council cleaning services

Velez-Malaga town hall says its beach-cleaning service operates throughout the year across 22km of coast, using staff and equipment provided by local company EMVIPSA. During the busiest months, from June to September, additional resources are deployed to maintain the beaches.

Council rules prohibit people from leaving rubbish on the sand and require waste to be placed in the bins provided. The student clean-up complements the council’s routine beach-maintenance work.

Part of a global campaign

#EUBeachCleanUp has run since 2017 and is led by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, together with the European External Action Service and the United Nations. It brings together clean-up activities around the world to draw attention to waste reaching the oceans and its effect on marine biodiversity.

What it means for the coast

Benajarafe’s beach depends not only on council services but on the habits of everyone who uses it. Taking rubbish home, cutting down on single-use plastics and joining local clean-ups can all reduce what ends up in the sea.

With 65kg removed in just three hours, this year’s student-led effort offers a hopeful example of how young people, local authorities and European programmes can work together to protect one of the Axarquia’s most stunning landscapes.