Illegal food sales at Bilbao's festivities spark pricing debate

90 kilos of illegal food in one night: the Aste Nagusia standoff

Bilbao has peine its festivities with an uncomfortable record: in a single night, city services seized 90 kilos of food being sold without a licence on the streets. The figure represents half of everything seized during last year's Aste Nagusia, and it has triggered a debate about the festival model and the competition that informal selling poses to official stalls.

Unfair competition or a cheap alternative

Mayor Juan María Aburto has asked citizens to stop buying from these stalls, calling for public cooperation. The reaction is far from unanimous: for some, street vending is a health risk and unfair competition for the txosnas (the festival's official food and drink stands), which pay fees and undergo inspections. For others, it is simply a cheaper option: they charge no licences and keep no opening hours, and customers notice. Some add that the txosnas agree on prices to avoid competing with each other, and that this rigidity is what opens the door to sellers who pay nothing.

The spectre of 'South Americanisation'

The discussion has drifted into terms like "South Americanisation" or the joke of renaming the city "Bilbogotá". Behind that rhetoric, two things are mixed: the informal economy, which exists in any large city, and prejudice against migrant vendors. As long as demand looks for cheap options and the legal offer does not loosen its prices, the standoff will continue. The City Council, for now, is only asking for cooperation to carry out its inspection work.