Friends of the Earth has said that a new code on the relationship between supermarkets and their suppliers, recommended by the Competition Commission, has failed to make any significant difference.

The environmental campaign group surveyed 161 farmers and growers and found that just 44 per cent were aware of the code.

Forum Response: National Consumer Council

Deirdre Hutton, chairman of the National Consumer Council, said: "The current review of the supermarket code of practice is a perfect opportunity for the Office of Fair Trading to examine the issues raised by the FoE survey. To work successfully, codes of practice must have teeth - with effective policing and enforcement of the agreed standards of behaviour."

Forum Response: J Sainsbury plc

A spokesman for J Sainsbury plc told ePolitix.com: "We are very proud of the good relationships we have with our suppliers who are very important to us. We were the first supermarket to publish a supplier code of conduct and this was ahead of the OFT code. We have worked hard over the last few years to increase communication."

Forum Response: Consumer's Association

Phil Evans, principal policy adviser for Consumers' Association, told ePolitix.com: "Consumers' Association was concerned at the time that the code of practice for supermarket/supplier relations was introduced that it was too vague and too weak. It would appear that this fear has been borne out.

"What is needed is proper, truly independent, arbitration and tighter checks and monitoring of possible breaches. Any scheme that relies on victims of poor practice to present themselves in full view of their more powerful business party is unlikely to succeed."