Mondelez International has been fined €338m ($366.5m) in Europe for “hindering cross-border trade” in breach of competition regulations. The European Commission conducted a probe dating back to 2021, finding that the Oreo and Cadbury brand owner violated competition rules related to the trade of chocolates, biscuits, and coffee products between EU member states.
The violations spanned from 2006 to 2020, with Mondelez acknowledging a “settlement” with European authorities. The EC decision focused on anti-competitive agreements and practices aimed at restricting cross-border trade and abusing its dominant position in certain national markets for chocolate tablet sales.
The EC found that Mondelez engaged in 22 anti-competitive agreements or practices, including limiting territories or customers for resale, and preventing exclusive distributors from responding to sale requests from customers in other member states. Mondelez also faced allegations of refusing to supply brokers in certain countries to prevent resale and ceasing supply in certain regions to control pricing.
In response, Mondelez stated, “At Mondelez International, we place the strongest emphasis on integrity and respect for the laws of the countries in which we operate. We are firmly committed to the highest compliance standards and take our responsibility seriously.”
Moving forward, Mondelez plans to continue emphasizing compliance culture and strengthening its annual mandatory compliance program to reflect learnings.
