A review into the effectiveness of the Grocery Code Adjudicator (GCA), which monitors fair practice in the food supply chain between retailers and suppliers, has been launched by the UK government.

The Groceries Code Adjudicator Act 2013 requires the government to periodically review the performance of the GCA. This statutory review covers the period from 1st April 2019 to 31st March 2022.

According to the 2013 Act, the review must address how the GCA’s powers have been exercised and how effective the GCA has been in enforcing the Code.

The service is currently overseen by the Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA) and it is reported that, in a bid to improve efficiency, the government is considering transferring the GCA’s functions to the industry body.

Ensuring efficiency

Launching the review, Minister for small business, consumers and labour markets Jane Hunt said: “The first and second reviews in 2016 and 2019 found that the GCA had been effective in enforcing the Code and had made a significant difference in ensuring fairness between the large retailers and their direct suppliers.

“The first review considered whether the GCA’s functions should be transferred to another public body or be abolished and found no evidence that transferring the GCA’s functions would increase the effectiveness of public functions or accountability to Ministers. In light of the need to ensure efficiency of public bodies, we would like to consider those questions again in the current review.”