The board heading up Canada's grocery code of conduct has hired an adjudicator to oversee the code's implementation.
The board announced that Karen Proud will officially begin the role on March 17, with the code intended to be operational by June.
Proud is the previous president and CEO of Fertilizer Canada, and has also held executive roles at Food, Health and Consumer Products of Canada and the Retail Council of Canada.
The grocery code is intended to promote fair dealings between grocers and their suppliers.
Work on the code began more than four years ago, and by July 2024, all the major grocers had confirmed they were on board for the voluntary code.
There had been hesitation from some of the grocers about signing on, and the federal government warned it could make the code mandatory if all the major players didn't get on board.