Give us grocery code urgently: Food and Drink Industry Ireland
(FDII) has called for the introduction of a statutory code of practice for the grocery sector “as a matter of urgency”.
The code was necessary to ban unfair trading practices and ensure balance and fairness in the relationship between suppliers and retailers, it said.
FDII director Paul Kelly said: “It is an urgent priority for the food sector that government legislate for a grocery code of conduct. Across Europe, governments are taking steps to better regulate the relationship between
retailers and their suppliers to stop unfair demands being placed on suppliers.
‘Bad for consumers’
“In the short-term these unfair demands impact on individual suppliers, but ultimately are also bad for consumers. Consumers are best served by a grocery market that is both fair and competitive, one that offers choice and convenience, and provides an outlet for new products and suppliers.”
Launching the FDII’s ‘Policy recommendations of the food and drink sector 2013’, Kelly said in addition to a grocery code of conduct, government policies on a wide range of topics should be aligned with industry needs.
Those included: sustainability measures, public health, environmental controls, domestic demand and national objectives of increased output and export growth.
