Redaccion
Alicante, March 13, 2025. Incorporating fresh foods into our daily consumption habits and leading a healthy lifestyle by shopping with local markets and stores for fruits and vegetables is one of the pieces of advice shared this morning by nutrition and gastronomy experts participating in the conferences organized in celebration of the International Consumer Rights Day in Alicante.
The technical sessions taking place this week at the Puerta Ferrisa municipal building, organized by Cerca, kicked off on Thursday with an opening speech by Lidia López, the councilor for Consumer Affairs, Trade, Markets, and Hospitality of the City Council. She emphasized the importance of «raising awareness about the rights we have as consumers and how to exercise them, so that together we can engage in more responsible, healthy, and sustainable consumption.»
The first two presentations delivered by Alba Martínez and Arancha Valdés, nutrition experts and professors at the University of Alicante, on «Healthy Consumption: The Importance of Nutrition,» raised awareness among a hundred young individuals about the impact of the foods we purchase and consume on our health.
The gastronomy program coordinator highlighted the significance of «education from early stages in both nutrition and gastronomy as tools to promote healthy consumption at all stages of life.» In her address, she contextualized out-of-home consumption during leisure moments in Spain, highlighting «Alicante’s potential as an ideal setting for this, thanks to the abundance of fresh, quality products, culinary tradition, and natural surroundings.»
These talks informed consumers about the environment’s influence on the population’s diet and how citizens can choose to adopt a healthy diet at home by purchasing fresh, quality products. The experts concluded that «to maintain a healthy and sustainable consumption, it is necessary to shop at local stores, select fresh seasonal products, read labels to avoid buying ultra-processed products, and reduce, recycle, and reuse various packaging materials.»
Councilor Lidia López expressed her satisfaction with the sessions, emphasizing that «it is essential to raise awareness from a young age among future consumers and teach them through talks and nutrition programs like those developed at Cerca to adopt good habits of health, nutrition, and responsible consumption.»
Healthy Consumption and Leisure
This morning, the technical sessions also featured the participation of Mar Pina, a publicist and creator of consumption promotion campaigns, and Francisco Vázquez, the Superintendent of the Alicante Local Police, with presentations on «Consumption and Leisure. What do I consume in my free time?» to analyze whether responsible and healthy consumption is being practiced during leisure time.
The Superintendent of the Local Police, Francisco Vázquez, provided information on «the right of admission and the allowed capacities in leisure venues to raise awareness about our rights and the regulation of alcohol consumption in public spaces according to the municipal ordinance.»
Information Points
This year, the City Council has organized activities to reach the maximum number of consumers and set up information points at Community Centers, Senior Training Centers, Municipal Markets, and Street Markets in the city.
The goal was to inform citizens about the services the City Council provides in consumer matters, such as the Municipal Consumer Information Office (OMIC) for queries and complaints, the Consumer Arbitration Board to resolve disputes between consumers and merchants, and the Consumer Resource Education Center (CERCA) as a reference center for consumer education and training.
New portal CERCA.alicante.es
Additionally, the City Council has launched the new website CERCA.alicante.es, a new tool made available by the Consumer Affairs department for all citizens to access consumption information, resources, register for training activities, and ultimately have all the necessary information in one online space to engage in more responsible consumption.
To conclude the commemorative events of Consumer Day 2025, a festive event will take place on Saturday, March 15, in Plaza 25 de mayo, at the Central Market, from 10 am to 1 pm, featuring information points, activities, and entertainment. Additionally, there will be informational booths on consumer rights offered by OMIC, CERCA, JAC, and Consumer Associations, as well as workshops and entertainment with a Batucada, and Mercalicante will offer a fruit workshop.
