Finland Times

 

Huhtamäki Oyj in Espoo. Photo – Lehtikuva.

The European Commission on Wednesday imposed a 15.5 million euro fine on the food and drink packaging manufacturer Huhtamäki.

 

The commission found certain packaging materials of Huhtamäki’s former operations to have been involved in anti-competitiveness practices.

 

The commission found that Huhtamäki had been involved in fixing price in northwest Europe and in France.

 

The European Commission imposed fines on seven other manufacturers and two distributors of retail food packaging trays.

 

“Millions of consumers buying food for themselves and their families have potentially been hit by these cartels. The companies concerned carved up the retail food packaging market and agreed on prices rather than competing on their merits. Cartels harm our entire economy, when companies set prices, instead of the market. This removes the incentive to innovate and will not be tolerated,” said Margrethe Vestager, the commissioner in charge of competition policy in a release.

 

According to the European Commission, the companies fixed prices and allocated customers of polystyrene foam or polypropylene rigid trays, in breach of EU antitrust rules.

 

The commission revealed the existence of five separate cartels for retail food packaging in a large part of the European Economic Area (EEA), confirmed the release.

 

In some of these cartels, the participants would refer to their illegal contacts as “the Club” or “Mafia”, said the commission.