Have Your Say: Make Food Supply Chains Fair for Everyone

Help expand the Supermarket Watchdog to protect all farmers and growers – in the UK and overseas.

In 2013, on the back of thousands of us raising our voices, the UK Government created the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) - known as the Supermarket Watchdog - to ensure that supermarkets treat their suppliers fairly and legally.

The GCA has helped improve supermarket behaviour, but many unfair practices still persist, especially further down the supply chain - where UK farmers, overseas producers and exporters have far fewer protections.

The Government is now reviewing the GCA’s work and asking for views from consumers. This is our chance to call for a stronger watchdog that protects all farmers and growers, not just those with direct supermarket contracts.

Definitions:

• Groceries Code Adjudicator

  This is the supermarkets watchdog, it is the body that oversees the code (below)

• Code (Groceries Supply Code of Practice)

  These are the rules that the GCA enforces. It is a legally binding text that sets out how supermarkets (and other food retailers) must treat their suppliers. As well as showing how to treat suppliers fairly, it also covers what behaviours are banned.

  “A Retailer must at all times deal with its Suppliers fairly and lawfully. Fair and lawful dealing will be understood as requiring the Retailer to conduct its trading relationships with Suppliers in good faith, without distinction between formal or informal arrangements, without duress and in recognition of the Suppliers’ need for certainty as regards the risks and costs of trading, particularly in relation to production, delivery and payment issues.” https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/groceries-supply-code-of-practice/groceries-supply-code-of-practice

How to Take Part

You can respond to the consultation by emailing your answers to: GCAreview@businessandtrade.gov.uk

Please use ‘GCA review - perspective of consumer’ as the subject line.

Please include the following information

·        Your Name

·        Organisation: If you’re replying on behalf of a fair trade group or church, include the group name and how many people you represent.

·        Email: So they can confirm your response was received.

·        Respondent type: “consumer” or “group of consumers”.

PART 1

Q5. What do you believe has been the impact of the GCA/supermarket watchdog on the groceries market?

Suggested points to include:

·        Supermarkets have been fairer to direct suppliers compared to 10 years ago.

Graph showing the number of suppliers who reported experiencing bad treatment from supermarkets from 2013-2025. Source: GCA annual survey results

Q13. Are there unfair practices outside the GCA/supermarket watchdog’s current scope?

Answer: Yes

Suggested points:

·        Farmers and growers both in the UK and overseas still face unfair trading practices.

·        Add in anything you know from your local area

PART 6

 What impact has the GCA/supermarket watchdog had on consumers?

• We/I feel discomfort buying food which has not benefited all who helped to grow, harvest, process the food.

• The yearly survey reports mean we can see which supermarkets are better and this can help with choosing where to shop.   

• The existence of a supermarket watchdog gives us confidence that supermarkets are under pressure to treat their suppliers better. However there is not currently fair play happening in all the relationships along supply chains between supermarkets & their suppliers and the growers/farmers. Also because of the narrow remit of the code which the supermarket watchdog, the GCA, oversees, not all of the supermarket mal-practice is reported. 

• We want to see the existing regulator expanded to oversee fair purchasing by all businesses based in the UK, involved in food supply chains that we buy from. 

Submit Your Response By email: Send your answers to GCAreview@businessandtrade.gov.uk

One Last Step (Optional!)

Please email campaign@transform-trade.org to let us know you’ve taken part - and if you're part of a group, tell us which one. It helps us track our collective impact.

Want to Learn More?

·        GCA Annual Report 2024–25
 (See pages 27–35 for survey results)

·        Blog: Why This Review Matters – by our friends at Sustain

·        UK Farming Survey – Insights into what farmers face. Overseas farmers are often hit even harder – they have fewer market options and face huge losses when UK orders fall through.