The food and drink sector should focus on consumers and avoid taking political stances on overseas issues, Alex Simpson, groceries code compliance officer and Asda board member, told a Westminster Food and Nutrition Forum.
Fighting between Israel and Palestine on the West Bank had recently triggered demonstrations in one of Asda’s Northern Ireland stores, Simpson said yesterday (March 17).
But it wouldn’t have been right for the retailer to respond to the protests by taking items from either of the countries off the shelves, he added.
‘Complicated issue’
“It’s a complicated issue that frequently comes up and it’s surprising how frequent [these issues] in the world do become headline news for [our] customers,” he said.
“As a retailer, we’re a broad church on what we supply customers … would it be right to remove products from our shelves [because of political turmoil in other countries]?” Simpson asked. “Probably not,” he said.
Not removing products from shelves in spite of them coming from troubled countries was an appropriate approach for retailers to take, Simpson added.
However, food and drink should not be imported from countries that faced sanctions from the UK government, he advised.
“We don’t want to take sides in politics. We want to sell beans and bread. We just want to make sure our customers get the products.”
Not only would consumers miss out if products were removed from shelves as a result of political turmoil, but suppliers overseas would lose business, Dan Crossley, executive director at the Food Ethics Council, pointed out.
No black and white rules
There were no black and white rules for food businesses to follow when it came to such situations, which made it difficult, but all parties should be thought of, he said.
It was crucial that UK food firms also made plans to ensure they weren’t victims of trouble too.
“What they [food firms] should be doing is driving long-term partnerships with their suppliers, which is important,” said Crossley.
“But, if there’s a legitimate reason you can’t operate in a particular sector, then [there may be no option].”
Meanwhile, food manufacturers were urged to take action and protect themselves against the political instability that started in the Ukraine last year, after pro-Russian rebels invaded the east of the country.
Protective clauses in supply chain contracts should be put in place, said Peter Bennett, head of the food team and partner at the law firm Roythornes.
Without such protection, firms could pay a heavy price caused by unexpected hikes in the cost of raw materials, he added.
“The impact of price increases and reduced produce availability, however minor they may seem on paper, can pose serious problems for the food supply chain,” said Bennett.