The Grocers’ Code of Conduct will come into force on Jan. 1, 2026. Within the agri-food industry, expectations are high. Among consumers, they are more restrained — and rightly so.

For food processors, the adoption of this code marks a pivotal moment. For years, they have warned of a growing imbalance in their commercial relationships with large grocery chains, whose market power has consolidated to the point of weakening the processing sector and limiting the ability of independent grocers to differentiate themselves. A weakened food processing sector means less innovation, fewer choices, and ultimately, less competition for consumers.

It is worth recalling a fundamental reality of the Canadian model: In agri-food, suppliers pay for access to shelf space. This dynamic gives major grocery chains considerable leverage, often exercised through the imposition of new, unpredictable, or retroactive fees. Until now, processors had little choice but to comply or absorb these costs — costs that inevitably made their way to retail prices. In this upstream game of cat and mouse within the supply chain, consumers always end up paying the price.

This is precisely what the Code of........

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