A survey of suppliers has rated the major supermarket chains on their compliance with the Food and Grocery Code of Conduct and found plenty of room for improvement.
“The major supermarket chains Woolworths, Coles and Aldi have all voluntarily signed up to the Code, and the past year has been a transition year in which they have been required to make their trading terms Code compliant,” said Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) CEO Gary Dawson.
Dawson said the survey of its member companies found high levels of knowledge and understanding of the Code among suppliers, reflecting the high takeup of code training provided through the AFGC.
“It’s clear that suppliers appreciate the significance of the Code, which aims to improve trading relationships by requiring more certainty and transparency in retailer – supplier trading relations,” said Dawson.
The survey of suppliers, which rated the major supermarket chains on their compliance with the Code, also found plenty of room for improvement.
Asked to rate the chains’ compliance with the code, the survey found that 76.5 per cent said that Coles are either “consistently well” or “mostly” compliant with the Code; while the figures from Aldi and Woolworths were 45.1 per cent and 41.2 per cent, respectively.
“Given this has been a transition year as both suppliers and retailers have come up to speed with the Code and worked it into their business practices, the results show that there is still a way to go in this adjustment,” said Dawson.
