Retailers, suppliers hesitant to raise concerns, grocery code report finds

A customer shops for processed meat products at a FreshCo grocery store in Brampton, Ont., Friday, June 5, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

OTTAWA — An early look into how Canada’s new grocery code of conduct is faring finds there’s hesitation among suppliers and retailers to bring up concerns about their counterparts, for fear it could strain their business relationships.

The report, published by the Office of the Grocery Sector Code of Conduct, also found that some members had misconceptions about the role of the office in resolving issues.

Karen Proud, president and adjudicator of the code, acknowledges this reluctance is a challenge and has taken steps to encourage establishing trust among members, such as raising issues anonymously.

The code, which came into effect at the start of this year, is a voluntary framework to promote fair dealings between grocers and their suppliers.

Proud says the office is educating members about the code, hosting seminars and creating more awareness about what the code covers and what it doesn’t.

Henry Chambers of consulting firm Sentinel says the code is in its early stages, but so far, it is progressing better than other countries, such as the United Kingdom and Australia, when they first adopted a similar measure.

He says the grocery code office still needs to instil confidence among members to talk about issues among themselves and use the online portal to submit complaints to the office, so that the adjudicator can call out bad behaviour.