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BARCODING, LABELLING & PACKAGING I
n 2018 British supermarkets faced scrutiny from the UK’s Grocery Code Adjudicator for profiteering at the expense of their suppliers. At the highest level, supermarkets were reportedly fining suppliers for several reasons,
including barcodes that were not compliant with their own systems. Since then, the UK Grocery Code Adjudicator stepped in to protect these producers and suppliers, and has encouraged the likes of Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and the Co- Op to improve their understanding of the Groceries Supply Code of Practice (GSCoP). Fast forward to 2023, 10 Downing Street
hosted a UK Farm to Fork Summit. During this summit, the UK government announced that £12.5 million is being made available to support research projects that promote environmental sustainability and resilience on farms – and a working group to bring together plant breeders, food manufacturers and retailers, to agree an approach that enables products to reach consumer shelves. It also pointed out that many farmers are taking advantage of an available £168m million grant funding, that supports investments in productivity, animal health and welfare and the environment (Section 3). Further, it announced that farmers should be paid a fairer price for produce, and new powers have been introduced through the Agriculture Act 2022 to support the sector further (Section 4). Additionally, it has decided to further endorse the important role of the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) and its efforts in ensuring fairness in the UK food supply chain (Section 4). This role sees the GCA act as an independent regulator, ensuring that designated retailers and supermarkets treat their direct suppliers lawfully and fairly – while ensuring compliance with its Groceries Supply Code of Practice. This has many goals, and is trying to combat variations in supply agreements, supply chain procedures, and ensure faster and fairer payments for all. Ultimately, while much of its code serves suppliers, all parties concerned would benefit from familiarising themselves with it, as it would ensure that everyone operates cohesively too.
ENABLING “FARM TO FORK” EFFICIENCY BETWEEN PRODUCERS AND SUPERMARKETS
Today, consumers across the UK are facing a cost of living crisis. As a result, many retailers and supermarkets are striving to keep their costs down, so that they can avoid passing these onto shoppers. Within this, one area that is increasingly under scrutiny for many organisations surrounds how to improve supply chain efficiency. This is taking place at all levels across the supply chain – from “Farm to Fork”. Additionally, farmers, fresh produce producers and the large multiples are all facing increasing pressure to improve their food provenance tracking and traceability efforts, as they manage the sale and distribution of goods to consumers.
Across the world, there are effective systems for labelling that have been created to encourage this to take place. Today the responsibility for implementing these, including label printing, falls predominantly with the grower or supplier. Neil Baker, head of Auto ID Sales for Northern Europe, BIXOLON Europe provides his insights about how farmers and fresh produce suppliers can work more effectively with supermarkets to improve efficiency throughout this entire process.
34 MAY 2024 | FACTORY&HANDLINGSOLUTIONS
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