The rapid evolution of the modern retail supply chain, and its impact on suppliers, makes next week’s City Food Lecture one of the most interesting yet.

Sainsbury’s chief executive Justin King will look ahead to how he sees the grocery industry developing, and many growers and importers will want to know how he views their role in the new world order.

In an exclusive interview with FPJ ahead of the event, King makes it clear that he sees close collaboration with producers as essential to calming fears of a food security crisis, and explains that the role of the importer has changed from one that simply involves sourcing the goods on behalf of the customer (see pages 22-25).

Nowadays, the importer has had to adapt and work more closely with the customer to ensure it stays relevant. Sainsbury’s hasn’t quite gone the way of Asda in stripping out the middle men, but it is clear that every major retailer is closely examining its supply chain to ensure every part is efficient and has a purpose.

King has underlined the fact that Sainsbury’s intends to remain competitive with the other leading supermarkets on price. That collaboration is therefore more essential than ever if all elements in the chain are to remain profitable.