Sobies original company Empire Company Limited has officially signed as the first retailer member of Canada’s new grocery code of conduct, as the work continues to develop regulations for members for members before full implementation till 1 January.
The office of the Grocery Sector Code of Conduct states that Dairy Producer Lactalis Canada has also signed as the first supplier member of the code.
The grocery code is to boost the fair behavior between the Grusters and their suppliers, including the application of penalty and fees, in an attempt to bring more transparency, fairness and forecast to the industry.
All the major Grusters of Canada – Empire, Loblav, Metro, Walmart Canada and Costco – confirmed their support for voluntary codes by July 2024, although this week marks the opening for formal registration.
Initially, signing with some groups was hesitant, but the federal government warned that this code can make mandatory if all the major players are not found on the board.
The office president and assistant Karen Proud says that this decline is expected to start after the completion of the final governance documents of the code with formal recruitment efforts, such as its biolavs, operating rules and formal dispute solutions mechanisms.
This report of Canadian Press was first published on July 2, 2025.
Companies in this story: (TSX: EMP.A)
Sammy Hades, Canadian Press