Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the (a) legal status is and (b) statutory powers are of the Groceries Adjudicator.

The Groceries Code Adjudicator Act 2013 established the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) and gave the GCA powers to enforce the Groceries Supply Code of Practice which regulates aspects of the relationship between the 10 largest grocery retailers and their direct suppliers. These powers allow the GCA to:

• investigate complaints from any source about how supermarkets treat their suppliers;
• make recommendations to retailers if a complaint is upheld;
• require retailers to publish details of a breach of the code;
• impose a fine on the retailer up to a maximum of 1% of their annual turnover; and
• arbitrate disputes between retailers and supplier.