The board heading up Canada’s grocery code of conduct has hired an adjudicator to oversee the code’s implementation.
The board announced that Karen Proud will officially begin the role on March 17, with the code intended to be operational by June.
Proud is the previous president and CEO of Fertilizer Canada, and has also held executive roles at Food, Health and Consumer Products of Canada and the Retail Council of Canada.
The grocery code is intended to promote fair dealings between grocers and their suppliers including the application of penalties and fees. The federal agriculture minister has said he believes the code will bring more transparency, fairness and predictability to the food industry.
Work on the code began more than four years ago, and by July 2024, all the major grocers — Loblaw, Metro, Empire, Walmart Canada and Costco — had confirmed they were on board for the voluntary code.
There had been hesitation from some of the grocers about signing on, but the federal government warned it could make the code mandatory if all the major players didn’t get on board.
Proud’s role as adjudicator will involve overseeing the implementation of the code, including fostering compliance, providing guidance on how the code is to be interpreted, resolving disputes, monitoring industry practices, and reporting on the code’s progress.
“Through her role, she will promote collaborative and ethical business practices, ensuring the code evolves alongside industry needs,” the board said in its press release.
The grocery sector has been under pressure from consumers and politicians for several years amid food inflation, with grocery executives pushing back at claims they were responsible for higher prices.
The code is not intended to address retail food prices.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 9, 2025.
