Two of the grocery code of conduct’s biggest advocates say they believe it could spark more investment and innovation by food manufacturers in Canada, hedging against shortages and price volatility in the future.
Though Empire and Metro had expressed early support, there were several months of uncertainty over whether the other major grocers would be on board, with government pressure ramping up and threats of making the code mandatory. Loblaw, Walmart Canada and Costco confirmed their support earlier this year.
"I was worried that ... if the industry couldn't clean itself up, that government was going to get involved," he said. “If that financial security and economic certainty is there, then I'm hopeful we're going to see much more economic investment and innovation and capital investment in their plans from those big multinationals.”
Medline and Graydon say some companies, both manufacturers and retailers, are already changing their behaviour in anticipation of the code. They’re both hopeful the code will over time transform relationships within the food industry and spark more confidence in companies to invest in their Canadian operations.