Suppliers were too scared to complain to OFT, claims environmental group
Environmental lobby group Friends of the Earth has called on the Government to get tough with the four top grocers following the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) report on adherence to the Supermarket Code of Practice. The OFT acknowledged that since the introduction of the Code, supermarket practices have not changed.
Friends of the Earth noted that the OFT had huge difficulty in getting evidence from suppliers, which are scared of losing contracts from supermarkets if they complain about their treatment, and called for an independent ombudsman to be appointed to arbitrate disputes.
Friends of the Earth senior food campaigner Vicki Hird said: 'It is hardly surprising that the OFT has been unable to uncover significant breaches of this flimsy Code of Practice. The supermarkets have effectively written the rules and these require them to do almost nothing at all. DTI Minister Gerry Sutcliffe must now call for a complete overhaul of this spineless code.'
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