Italian Regulator Fines Snack Makers €23 Million Over Private Label Cartel

Key Takeaways

• Cartel Identified in Private Label Market: The Italian Competition Authority found that Amica Chips, Pata, and Preziosi Food engaged in a single, continuous market-sharing cartel in the supply of private label savoury snacks.
• Significant Fines Imposed: The regulator issued total fines of €23,298,147, with penalties distributed across all three companies for their role in the anti-competitive agreement.
• Breach of EU Competition Rules: The conduct was found to violate Article 101 TFEU by restricting competition through coordinated commercial strategies.
• Leniency Program Applied: Amica Chips and Pata received reduced fines after providing evidence that contributed significantly to establishing the infringement.
• First Use of Settlement Procedure: The authority used its settlement mechanism under Italian law for the first time, resulting in additional fine reductions for all parties.

Deep Dive

Italy’s antitrust regulator has handed down more than €23 million in fines to three of the country’s leading snack manufacturers, concluding that they coordinated their behavior in a market-sharing arrangement that limited competition in the private label sector.

In a recent decision, the Italian Competition Authority found that Amica Chips, Pata, and Preziosi Food had engaged in a “single, complex and continuous” cartel tied to the supply of savory snacks produced for large-scale retailers and sold under those retailers’ own brands.

The authority imposed a total fine of €23,298,147. Amica Chips was fined €8,239,210, while Pata and Preziosi Food received penalties of €7,555,387 and €7,503,550 respectively.

At the heart of the case is the private label segment, where manufacturers produce goods that are sold not under their own brands, but under the branding of supermarkets and other large retailers. According to the regulator, the three companies coordinated their commercial strategies in this space, effectively carving up the market rather than competing for supply contracts.

That conduct, the authority said, amounted to a restriction of competition in breach of Article 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which prohibits agreements that distort competition within the EU’s internal market.

The case also offers a window into how enforcement tools are being used to build and resolve cartel investigations. The authority applied its leniency program, granting reduced fines to Amica Chips and Pata after both companies provided evidence that played a significant role in establishing the infringement.

In addition, all three companies benefited from further reductions through a settlement procedure under Article 14-quater of Italy’s competition law. The authority noted that this marks the first time it has successfully used that procedure, suggesting a shift toward more streamlined case resolution where companies cooperate.

While the decision focuses on a specific segment of the Italian food industry, it shows a bigger regulatory concern. Markets structured around a small number of suppliers competing for contracts with large buyers can create conditions where coordination becomes more likely, particularly when those suppliers share similar commercial pressures and opportunities.

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