Finding a resolution to the controversial ombudsman debate seems an impossible task. On one side, the retailers have clearly shown their hand and clarified their opposition to the Competition Commission’s proposal for closer monitoring of their dealings with suppliers. On the other side, the farming community is crying out for closer scrutiny of its treatment at the hands of the supermarkets.

FPJ has always unequivocally supported the implementation of such a scheme. Evidently, something is rotten in the state of retailer-supplier relationships, and the prevailing system is failing even to pin down the problem, let alone address it. The National Farmers’ Union seems to have made it its mission to tackle this issue, as it made clear at its annual conference this week (p1).

Of course, a large part of the problem stems from the fact that today’s consumer expects something for nothing, especially when it comes to food. It was therefore heartening to hear Waitrose managing director Mark Price at the same conference effectively call for an end to the cheap food era and a return to a more realistic pricing approach (p5) - in stark contrast to the comments from Asda chief executive Andy Bond earlier this month. Consumers have become accustomed to treating food as a throw-away commodity - an attitude problem that needs to be addressed before we stand any chance of retailer-supplier relationships thawing out.