Canadian Retailer - Summer 2016 - 8

AT ISSUE

TABLE STAKES

Retail Council of Canada's aggressive representation of grocery issues
providing government and consumers with food for thought
BY SEAN C. TARRY
RETAIL Council of Canada (RCC) is the unapologetic Voice of
Retail in Canada. On behalf of our members we advocate on
issues that affect the 45,000 storefronts they operate. Whether
those issues focus on the streamlining of recycling programs
across the country or the fight against inflated credit card fees,
RCC speaks to municipal, provincial and federal governments to
ensure the retail industry's voice is heard loud and clear.
When advocating for retailers, the association is anchored by
three main principals:
1) reducing retailers' costs,
2) harmonizing legislation and regulations to help make running
the retail business less complicated and more profitable,
3) identifying areas where precedence are being set and aggressively addressing them, while protecting and promoting the
reputation of retailers everywhere.

Grocers are affected by the broad range of issues that affect all
retailers, including credit card fees and labour and store operation requirements. However, as they are purveyors of food they
have many unique responsibilities, and are subject to regulations
that are focussed solely on retailers who sell food. RCC spearheads these challenges and has recently been actively working
on a number of files.
Reducing costs: One of the key areas where RCC focuses efforts to help reduce costs for grocers is in advocating for the harmonization of food safety regulations across the country. RCC
has been addressing concerns related to the federal updating
of food safety and labelling practices, working toward ensuring that new regulations are structured to recognize the highest common denominator. RCC has achieved several significant
wins including mutual recognition of Canadian and U.S. standards, avoidance of burdensome requirements on product imports, and simplification of record keeping requirements. These
changes will ensure that Canada's strong food safety record will
be maintained while easing members' reporting requirements.
Setting precedence: Ontario's government is proposing that
retailers be required to provide menu labelling on ready-to-eat
products in their stores, including the provision of caloric and nutritional information. These changes will be complex. RCC is advocating that grocery meal preparation is unique from restaurants,
and that flexibility needs to be built into the regulations. The association is aggressively working with government to ensure grocers
are allowed an appropriate timeframe to meet these requirements,
and that the legislation only apply to items that are truly ready-toeat. Quebec is also actively looking at introducing legislation that
would require mandatory labelling of genetically modified prod8|

CANADIAN RETAILER | SUMMER 2016

Dave Wilkes, RCC Senior Vice President, Government
Relations and Grocery Division

ucts. In both cases these regulations will set
the direction for provinces across the country, and RCC is working diligently to ensure
that governments get it right the first time.
Upholding the industry's reputation: RCC
is the spokesperson concerning issues related to food safety recalls and other challenges impacting the public reputation of
grocers. The Council works tirelessly to
make sure consumers understand the facts
around food recalls. RCC also works with
members, positioning the industry as leaders when it comes to responding to consumer demands. One example of this is the
commitment of RCC's grocery members to
source only cage-free eggs.
RCC has built a strong reputation as the
"go-to" source for members and regulators
when new regulations are being considered.
Our team of dedicated Government Relations staff across the country are always
working to ensure that the Voice of Retail
continues to be heard loud and clear.
For more information about RCC's advocacy
efforts and key issues of immediate focus,
visit www.retailcouncil.org/advocacy.

http://www.retailcouncil.org/advocacy

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Canadian Retailer - Summer 2016