There is now an opportunity, and need, for you to let the federal government know that changes are needed to a draft new Grocery Unit Pricing Code proposed to replace the current Code on 1 October 2021.
Unbelievably, the provisions of the draft new Code are exactly the same as those in the current Code even though changes were recommended by a range of stakeholders, including consumer organisations, some retailers and the ACCC.
As previously agreed by many members of the Choice Community, there is a great need to increase the benefits possible from effective unit pricing by improving the effectiveness, and increasing the scope, of the current Code.
I think that the main changes needed to the draft new Code are to:
Make unit prices much easier for consumers to notice, read and use.
Require more grocery retailers to provide unit prices.
Require some non-grocery retailers to provide unit prices.
If you agree, send an email (by Monday 14 June) to consumerlaw@treasury.gov.au asking that the draft Code be changed to achieve the above outcomes.
More information about the consultation is available here
Treasury has advised me that since Monday 14 June is a public holiday in many parts of the country, it will still consider comments received on Tuesday 15 June.
I expect that comments sent several days after the 14th would also be considered.
So if you think that the draft Code should be changed, send an email to consumerlaw@treasury.gov.au asking that the draft Code be changed to:
Make unit prices much easier for consumers to notice, read and use.
Require more grocery retailers to provide unit prices.
Require some non-grocery retailers to provide unit prices.
What ever your choice of warning label:
Should the retailer be responsible for giving up valuable space on the pricing bracket, or the manufacturer on the product packaging?
For the second option it would certainly change the look of the wrapper on a Mars Bar.
I’d favour mandating the manufacturer add the prominent warnings to the product packaging. They go out of their way to promote attributes such as ‘low GI’, ‘no added MSG’, ‘all natural ingredients’, etc. The manufacturers would be falling over each other to take up the suggestion, would they not?
Why stop at sugar. Salt is equally wicked. So are many fats.
Perhaps we could wrap that up in a single product label that rates how good or bad a food product is.
Health Stars!
