Vegetable Farmer – 1st June 2020

Retailer compliance with the Groceries Supply Code of Practice is at an all-time high, initial analysis of the groceries code adjudicator’s annual survey has found.

Of the almost 1,500 direct suppliers who responded to the survey, 36% said they had
experienced a code-related issue in the past 12 months. That figure has dropped year on year
since the survey was started, in 2014.

The most common issues suppliers experienced in 2020 – forecasting, delay in payments
and de-listing – are all now at their lowest reported level.

Christine Tacon, the first groceries code adjudicator (GCA) to be appointed and who steps
down later this year, said the survey period included three weeks when the sector was under
huge pressure due to Covid-19.

“But the data shows no adverse impact on compliance with the code as retailers and suppliers
raced to keep supermarket shelves filled,” she said.

“This is a testament to the stronger and more effective communication between retailers
and suppliers which the GCA has fostered over the past seven years and which has proved so valuable during this emergency.”