Irish Food Body Calls for Grocery Code of Practice

1 Apr 2013 --- Food and Drink Industry Ireland (FDII), the IBEC group that represents the food sector, has said that legislation to introduce a statutory code of practice for the grocery sector must be introduced as a matter of urgency.

The group said getting the grocery code up and running was necessary to bring balance and fairness to the relationship between suppliers and retailers by banning unfair trading practices.

Launching its 'Policy recommendations of the food and drink sector 2013', 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.

"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."

"Alongside the grocery code of conduct, Government policies on issues such as sustainability measures, public health, environmental controls, domestic demand and national objectives of increased output and export growth must be aligned with industry needs, including:

•    A CAP that is focused on supporting the productive sector
•    A climate change policy that is aligned with growth in the sector
•    A cost competitive processing environment
•    Support measures to ensure financing is available for export capacity expansion and productivity enhancement
•    Implementation of an effective grocery sector code of practice
•    An acknowledgement of and support for the role that the food and drink industry can play in multi-stakeholder obesity initiatives”