Chicago-based confectionary group Mondelez has been hit with a fine of €337.5 million ($366.5 million) for obstructing cross-border trade in its products, the European Commission announced on Thursday.
These illegal practices had allowed Mondelez to charge more for its own products, to the detriment of consumers in the European Union, the commission said.
It accused the company, formally known as Kraft Foods, of "engaging in anticompetitive agreements or concerted practices aimed at restricting cross-border trade of various chocolate, biscuit and coffee products."
It had also abused its dominant position in certain national markets for the sale of chocolate tablets, the commission said.
Mondelez produces a range of well-known products, such as Cadbury, Milka, Toblerone, Daim, Oreo, Mikado, Philadelphia and TUC.
The commission opened official proceedings into Mondelez in January 2021. It found that the company had been involved in 22 anti-competitive agreements and other infringements that had taken place between 2012 and 2019 and had affected all EU markets.
The fine was cut by 15%, as Mondelez had cooperated with the investigation and acknowledged its responsibility, the commission said.
Mondelez said in a statement that the infringements accounted for a very limited part of its European business. "This historical matter is not representative of who we are and the strong culture of compliance for which we strive," it said.
Special measures to finance the fine would not be necessary, it added.