Should Grocery Retailers (And Their Suppliers) Have a Code of Conduct To Prevent Unfair Pricing?

When the supply chain breaks down and a particular product becomes less available, it is often the national grocery chains that increase their orders and the smaller and more rural grocers struggle to keep their shelves stocked. In Canada, retailers and suppliers are working to build a fair and transparent set of guidelines aimed at preventing this and making access to the food supply more equitable. Similar guidelines are already in place in other countries like the UK and Australia.

In Canada, just five big retailers own 80 percent of the country’s grocery business (Loblaw, Sobeys/Safeway, Walmart, Costco, and Metro), which makes this effort even more urgent. Grocery also feels different than other industry sectors because the products they sell aren’t optional. Everyone has to eat. So on the surface some type of rule to protect customers from price gouging seems like a good idea.