The government hopes to tackle supermarket attitudes to fresh produce deals in order to prevent waste and give power to suppliers.
Farming minister Jim Paice anticipates the introduction of an adjudicator to oversee the Groceries Supply Code of Practice will prevent supermarkets forcing suppliers to pay for in-store deals they have little control over.
Paice said he aims to reduce “extraordinarily unfair” behaviour and said buy-one-get-one-free deals are creating too much waste in giving evidence to the select committee on EU agriculture, fisheries and environment’s sub-committee’s inquiry on Innovation in EU Agriculture last week.
He said: “The retailers have a big role to play and many have begun to realise that they should stop offers that just encourage people to buy food that they do not need.
“If the supermarket decides to do a buy one, get one free, or a buy three, pay for two, or whatever it may be, they often expect that to be funded by the supplier.
“If we get to a more sensible relationship between suppliers and retailers, through the use of the code and its proper enforcement by the adjudicator, I think we will see a gradual reduction in that sort of behaviour.”
Paice added: “It is extraordinarily unfair on a producer of lettuces, for example, to be told that they suddenly have to fund that when they have had no say in the matter. The supermarket comes along and says that it has decided to do a special offer on lettuces, so in future that is how you will label them and sell them to the supermarket. You cannot go on like that. It is a longer term process, but I think it will happen.”
Retailers have made several advances in waste reduction in store with Tesco setting a trend in October 2009 with its buy one, get one free later deal.
Paice also gave evidence on sustainable production, the impact of a localised agenda, production output levels and farm advisory services.
He is among the speakers at this year’s Re:fresh conference, taking place on 19 May at London’s Intercontinental Park Lane.
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