Reason people in the UK are boycotting supermarkets today

Shoppers across the UK have pledged to boycott supermarkets today (28 October) in protest.

The boycott has been planned to coincide with the chancellor’s autumn budget for a very specific reason.

Called We’re Not Buying It, the grassroots campaign has been gaining traction and calls on people to avoid buying goods from supermarkets for one day only.

It’s goal is to bring attention to food prices and to make the government introduce a food price cap on essential food items as prices grow.

According to data from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Amnesty International, roughly 7.4 million low-income families have struggled to buy food items and over 14 million people experience food-related poverty.

This comes as the UK government has urged the country to stockpile non-perishable food and water for emergencies that will last 72-hours as part of its Be Ready campaign. The campaign has drawn attention to the impact of severe weather, floods, cyber-attacks and other disruptions which may make it extremely hard to buy food.

Young mothers are one group that have struggled to buy food during the cost of living crisis. Johanna Grace, a volunteer for We’re Not Buying It, told Big Issue that many of these mothers, who are in their 20s, are depending on food banks while also working multiple jobs to support their families.

The boycott comes as the government asks people to stock up on non-perishable food (Getty Stock Image)

“It’s something that I’m passionate about, having used food banks. for the last five years or so and seeing what it’s like in these places and families using them and vulnerable people.”

Elderly people are also using food banks more.

“You see elderly people queuing for an hour in the freezing cold winter because it’s the only good they can access,” Grace explained.

“I just wanted to make a difference and get the government to do something and stop letting people in our communities shoulder the responsibility of having to feed each other when something as simple as a price cap can be implemented on budget day and it can make a huge difference to people on the poverty line.”

Maryam Ofkir, a spokesperson from We’re Not Buying It, discussed the motivation behind the campaign on Sky News’ Ridge & Frost.

The campaign calls for people to stop buying from supermarkets for one day (Getty Stock Image)

“People are tired of the cost of living crisis,” she said. “People are tired and frustrated with not being able to afford basic food items. And the We’re Not Buying It campaign is a one-day action in which in the next 24 hours we’re boycotting."

She continued: “The demand is to put price caps on basic food items that are needed to survive and products such as milk, eggs, brown sugar, bread, and water.”

Okfir also mentioned a major one-day supermarket and shopping boycott which took place in Croatia in 2025 protest surging food prices and inflation.

In the UK, ahead of the Budget on 28 October 2026, Chancellor John Healey promised measures to ease the cost of living, including the cost of the weekly food shop.

The government announced plans to suspend import tariffs on more than 100 products, including certain food items. The aim is to reduce costs for businesses and potentially ease pressure on grocery prices. Products affected include garlic, baked beans, gherkins, citrus jams and marmalades, and some plant-based drinks. However, the extent to which these savings will be passed on to shoppers remains uncertain.