2026 groceries code survey flags supplier issues
This may look like a routine regulator newsletter, but it is really about power in the food chain. The Groceries Code Adjudicator, or GCA, is the watchdog that makes sure designated retailers - the supermarkets covered by the rules - treat their direct groceries suppliers lawfully and fairly. When the GCA speaks, it is often speaking for businesses that may be too nervous to speak publicly for themselves. The latest update carries two messages at once. First, overall compliance with the Groceries Code remains high. Second, some supplier concerns are edging up again, which is why the adjudicator is warning retailers not to treat this year’s results as a pass mark they can relax into.
On 16 April, the adjudicator published the confidential 2026 annual supplier survey. The headline was mixed: most retailers are still meeting the Code at a high level, but a slightly larger share of suppliers said they had faced Code-related problems than in the previous survey. The issues named most often were invoice discrepancy resolution, forecasting accuracy, de-listing and delays in payment. **What this means:** suppliers need invoices sorted quickly, sensible forecasts, fair treatment if a product is being removed, and payment on time. None of that is technical trivia. For smaller suppliers especially, each one can affect staffing, stock, and whether a business feels secure enough to keep investing.
The survey matters because regulators do not only wait for a crisis. They look for patterns. If the same type of complaint keeps appearing across responses, the GCA can see where a retailer is doing well, where a problem is sticking, and where further action may be needed. That is why the adjudicator thanked suppliers for taking part but also described the findings as a warning to every retailer. High compliance is not the same thing as perfect behaviour. A supermarket can look broadly compliant and still leave suppliers dealing with slow payments or confusing invoice disputes that wear them down over time.
One of the clearest figures in the newsletter is this: in the 2026 survey, 60% of suppliers said they would be willing to raise an issue with the GCA. That is a useful sign, but it also means a large share of suppliers are still uncertain or unconvinced. The regulator openly acknowledges that fear of retaliation remains a barrier. **Why this matters:** a rulebook only works if people feel safe using it. The GCA says suppliers can get in touch confidentially by email or through its anonymous reporting platform, Tell the GCA. It also says it has a legal duty to protect confidentiality and will not share information with a designated retailer that could identify a supplier unless the supplier gives express permission.
There is also a second route. Suppliers who would rather speak directly to a retailer’s Code Compliance Officer can do that confidentially, and the contact details are published on the GCA website. According to the newsletter, those officers should only share a supplier’s concern within their business if the supplier has clearly agreed, and designated retailers have committed that suppliers who raise issues should not face retribution. That point deserves to be read slowly. In any supply chain, the fear of being frozen out can silence people long before a formal breach is ever proved. So when the regulator talks about confidentiality, it is not just discussing process. It is trying to create the conditions in which reporting can happen at all.
In April, the government also published the fourth statutory review of the GCA, covering 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2025, and the adjudicator said the review recognised the regulator’s effectiveness. The response is not to declare victory. Instead, the GCA says it will put more effort into building stakeholder confidence, tackling fears about negative consequences, and being more transparent about how it works. A structural change is coming too. From 1 July 2026, the GCA’s departmental sponsorship will move from the Department for Business and Trade to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The newsletter stresses that enforcement decisions will remain independent. For you as a reader, the important point is simple: the department in the background is changing, but the job stays the same. The watchdog still wants to hear confidentially from direct suppliers facing Code issues, and suppliers can still sign up for updates by email or follow the GCA on LinkedIn.