Three food companies, including units of Kraft Foods and Unilever, have been fined €38 million for sharing sensitive competitive information, a German watchdog said yesterday.

The two and the German company Dr Oetker were found guilty of violating competition laws by meeting over a period of several years to discuss negotiations with retailers, the cartel office said.

“Competition was hindered by these actions,” a statement quoted office president Andreas Mundt as saying, “even though it was not a question of classic collusion on prices, territories or clients”.

A fourth major food manufacturer is still being investigated, it added.

Authorities were alerted to the discussions by a worker at the German division of the US conglomerate Mars, which under cartel authority rules will not be fined as a result.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.