Shockingly, we're seeing—and we're not the only ones—when we and others measure it, that trust in business and government is plummeting. Marketplace practices are a big part of that.
For sure, we don't think that any major consumer group has been included in any of the discussions about supply chain codes. Where there are practices in place, like in Canada's agricultural products marketing boards, the consumer voice is extremely weak.
We're not an organization that will discredit one process or another on philosophy alone. It needs to be judged by its performance. We're hearing from everyone, including supply chain people, that there are big problems of trust.
Part of it is the concentration of ownership problem. Part of it is international forces. This is one reason that we didn't focus on the bigger question of inflation. There are lots of sources of inflation right now. Instead, we would say that if you give people more financial assistance to help them in the marketplace, but the marketplace itself is stripping them of consumer surplus assertively because it's not a competitive marketplace and because consumers don't have a voice, then you're wasting your money.
I think it's time for a rebalance if you want consumers' trust back.