Below is a list of recent news and media coverage. For older items, see News archive.
Supermarkets already have price controls: us
The Times – 2nd July 2023
Our supermarkets seem short of friends — at least within the Palace of Westminster. Rishi Sunak has said that the cost of the weekly shop “has gone up too much in the past few months … we’re looking at the supermarkets, making sure that they’re behaving responsibly and fairly when it comes to pricing”.…
Tacon announces Co-op Member Nominated Director candidacy
I am standing as a Member Nominated Director for the Co-op at their AGM held on Saturday 20th May 2023. I have been asked to produce a brief candidate address, a 500-word statement and a 2-minute video. These can be view below.…
Supermarket power tops concerns at Farmers Weekly Question Time
Farmers Weekly– 25th April 2023
Supermarkets and supply chain unfairness were top of the agenda at the third Farmers Weekly Question time event at the John Innes Centre in Norwich.
Farmers shaped the discussion by putting their searching questions to a panel of policymakers and influential figures, including Christine Tacon, chairwoman of Assured Food Standards for Red Tractor.…
Could the Competition & Markets Authority seriously do the job of policing the GSCOP?
The Grocer – 19th July 2022
Critics say the GCA has over-stepped its remit and made itself vulnerable, but supporters warn handing its job to the CMA would be disastrous
Small business minister Jane Hunt had been in the job for just two weeks when The Grocer revealed she was to consider scrapping the Groceries Code Adjudicator role in a drive to increase efficiency and ministerial accountability.
Trust in supermarket food down as consumers link cheaper choices with lower quality, survey finds
The Grocer – 20th July 2022
Consumers are losing trust in supermarket food as they assume swapping to cheaper ranges means compromising on quality and food safety, new research suggests.
A YouGov survey of 3,500 UK adults commissioned by Red Tractor found 46% were changing what they bought to keep their families fed during the cost of living crisis.…
Tacon announces Co-op Member Nominated Director candidacy
I am standing as a Member Nominated Director for the Co-op at their AGM held on Saturday 21st May 2022. I have been asked to produce a brief candidate address, a 500-word statement and a 2-minute video. These can be view below, as well as on the Co-op website.…
Ex-military workers encouraged to join food supply chain by £450k grant
The Grocer – 21st February 2022
Food sector learning provider MDS has received a £450,000 grant to create a training programme for non-graduates and triple the number of its secondments in the food industry.
The campaign will focus on recruiting ex-military personnel and career changers to upskill the fresh produce sector.…
NFU Scotland AGM 2022: Sustainability increasingly important for farm assurance
The Press and Journal – 11th February 2022
Sustainability will become an increasingly important component of farm assurance going forward, claim the leaders of three industry assurance bodies.
Speaking at the NFU Scotland virtual annual general meeting and conference, the chairs of Quality Meat Scotland (QMS), Red Tractor and Scottish Quality Crops (SQC) said farm produce buyers were increasingly asking for assurances about the sustainability of food produced on British farms.…
