Once in a blue moon, the fresh produce industry throws up a news story that piques the interest of the national media as much as it does ours at FPJ. Last week’s arrest of Sainsbury’s potato buyer John Maylam, over allegedly receiving kickbacks to the tune of £3 million from supplier Greenvale, was one such headline. It grabbed the attention of the nationals, and has raised a host of questions across the whole grocery industry about the integrity of trading standards.
The stench of scandal surrounding this tale will hardly be welcomed by the supermarket sector, especially at a time when it has rarely found itself subject to such close scrutiny - from all angles. Sainsbury’s has made every effort to cover its tracks regarding the arrest, even sending out a letter to all of its suppliers inviting would-be whistleblowers to step forward and spill the beans if they “are aware of any irregularities”. It will be interesting to see how many suppliers take them up on this kind invitation.
Perhaps this week’s revelation will re-focus the Competition Commission’s attention on what nasty truths may be lurking behind closed doors in the UK grocery sector - and lend some clout to the argument of those campaigning for greater transparency along the supply chain. Let’s hope so - something good has to come out of a story that otherwise does our sector no favours.
No comments yet