Poor old Tesco, I hear you all cry. What has it done to deserve the mud being slung in its direction in the last couple of weeks?

What with actress Emma Thompson decrying Tesco’s supposed abuse of women’s rights in South Africa, through the petrol crisis and onto this week’s Fruit & Veg Pledge fiasco (p4), the retailer’s self-protection mechanism must be on constant red alert.

Looking at the last of these claims, it would appear that if anything Tesco has been unusually naive, rather than wilfully abusive of its customers through cynical marketing measures.

Raising prices immediately prior to a half-price promotion is not a new tactic and it is not confined to fresh produce. But surely Tesco realised it is under the microscope and that such a move would be pounced on by the media.

To blame a “cynical briefing” for the allegations in The Mail on Sunday was unwise and plays into the media’s hands. There was enough evidence in-store to back up the newspaper’s story - and that is all it needs.

On page one today, a Tesco supplier is the first to be sucked into the net by the Gangmaster Licensing Authority. More bad news for the retailer, but potentially far worse for Bomfords. We take no pleasure in breaking such news, and the outcome is far from decided. But one thing the industry can now be sure of is that the GLA is prepared to back its words with action.