“The Office of the Grocery Sector Code of Conduct (OGSCC) organization [has] announced the com-pletion of its governance framework, marking a significant milestone in the implementation of the Canada Grocery Code.”
So the triumphal news release reads. But where’s the triumph? And who’s is it? Certainly not con-sumers’, if one reads the fine print of the Code Itself.
By and for the industry
The Canadian Grocery Code of Conduct (CGCC) coa-lition is self-governing. So no one is going to force members to do anything they don’t want to do. Their declared purpose, as stated in the About Us section of the official website, is to serve the industry, not the public: “The Code is principle based and, by providing clear standards and an accessible framework for dis-pute resolution, the Code strengthens trust across the industry and supports long-term competitiveness.” Turns out that means dispute resolution between members. Not outside groups or government.
The organization has, all along, insisted that this overall goal will benefit consumers by ensuring competition among members. Stronger, equitable competition is supposed to lead to lowering of retail prices. But that ain’t gonna happen. Not as long as the government stands back, refusing to step into the food price fray and mandate lower prices.
A Toothless Lion
According to the actual wording of the Code, itself: “Good Faith means (i) a standard of conduct characterised by honesty, fair and open dealing, without duress and with due regard to the interests of the other party (which does not equate to not acting in or acting against one’s own legitimate interests)…”
Nothing in there about lowering food prices. Or ‘transparency’ or ‘Good Faith’ toward, or ‘open dealing’ with consumers.
My take
If you’ve had the fortitude to read that far – that statement makes it clear that the CGCC is MEANT to be a toothless lion. I’ve suspected from the outset that the whole idea of the Code of Conduct was just an attempt to shroud the whole food price catastrophe in even more layers of smoke and mir-rors. And lull consumers into a false sense of security.
The response from Canada’s Minister Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Heath MacDonald, clearly shows that the government is in cahoots with the Food Sector, propping up the notion that the CGCC will actually address the food price crisis. Nonsense.
“We applaud the collective work done on the industry-led grocery sector code of conduct to land this governance framework and the leadership shown by the Office of the Grocery Sector Code of Con-duct,” MacDonald said, in a statement. “By coming together to establish clear principles of fairness and transparency, the sector is building a stronger, accessible and more resilient supply chain.”
Gobbledygook, smoke and mirrors.
My questions for you:
Do you believe the CGCC will actually help bring down food prices?
If so, how long do you expect it take to show results?
Do you agree that the government is kowtowing to the grocery industry?
What do you think it will take, in the end, to bring food prices down?
Do you agree it will take government intervention to mandate lower food prices?
Muse on that…
~ Maggie J.