The Fourth Statutory Review of the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA)
As you may be aware, the Department for Business and Trade is currently undertaking the fourth statutory review of the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA).
The GCA was established by the Groceries Code Adjudicator Act 2013 (“the Act”) which extends to England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Its role is to monitor and enforce the Groceries Supply Code of Practice (“the Code”), which the UK’s designated large grocery retailers must comply with when dealing with their direct suppliers. The Act requires the Government to review periodically the performance of the GCA in enforcing the Code. This, the fourth such review, covering the period from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2025 seeks views and evidence which will allow the Government to make an assessment of the performance of the GCA against the measures set out in the Act.
The consultation follows a similar approach to those for the previous statutory reviews, including questions specifically aimed at different stakeholders, including some for the suppliers, retailers and consumers. We would very much welcome views from you on how effective the GCA has been in enforcing the Code and whether it has performed its statutory obligations. In addition to the requirements set out in the Act, this consultation also includes questions on the effectiveness of the GCA model, interactions with the Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator (ASCA) and potential gaps in regulating the food supply chain. Whilst this information is not directly relevant for assessing the performance of the GCA over the past three years, the Government thinks it would be useful to gather information on this.
The consultation can be accessed at:
Stakeholders have until 5 August 2025 to respond and, following this, we will analyse the responses and other relevant evidence. A report on the findings will then be published and laid before Parliament.
Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you would like to meet with the GCA review team or have any questions about the review. If you no longer wish to receive updates on the Groceries Code Adjudicator from the Department for Business and Trade, please reply to this e-mail stating that you would like to unsubscribe and we will remove you from our mailing list.
Get in touch with the GCA review team if you have any questions: GCAreview@businessandtrade.gov.uk.