Grocery unit pricing here to stay

NATIONAL

MGA has been a member of the Federal Treasury review of the Grocery Unit Pricing workgroup. MGA advocated NO changes.

The Treasury’s remit was to follow through on the Federal Government commitment to ensuring consumers have the right information when they shop for groceries to get the best value for their money.

Following a Treasury-led review, the Unit Pricing Code of Conduct will be remade before it sunsets on 1 October 2021.

This will mean that grocery retailers subject to the Code must continue to display the price of groceries using common units of measurement, such as dollars per kilogram, enabling consumers to make quick price comparisons.

In conducting a review of the Code, the Government undertook extensive consultation, including with MGA, as well as surveying almost 4,000 consumers with results indicating wide use of unit pricing information to compare goods, which saved these consumers time and money. The Government considers the current arrangements are efficient and effective, and the Code will be remade with its existing requirements continuing to apply into the future. Minor changes to reflect modern drafting practices and technology-neutral language are included in the revised Code, which was released for public consultation on the Treasury website until 14 June 2021.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission will also update its guidance to retailers to take account of feedback raised in submissions, which will assist businesses to enhance their unit price displays. The Retail Grocery Industry (Unit Pricing) Code of Conduct (the Code) is a mandatory industry code of conduct prescribed under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010.

The Code requires certain grocery retailers to use unit pricing when selling particular grocery items to consumers.

The Code was introduced on 1 July 2009 and is scheduled to sunset (lapse) on 1 October 2021.