Oreo-maker Mondelez hit with euro 337.5 million antitrust fine by EU

The EU on Thursday slapped a 337.5 million euro ($366 million) fine on Mondelez, the US confectioner behind major brands including Toblerone and Oreo, for restricting sales of products within the 27-country bloc.

Mondelez, formerly called Kraft, is one of the world's largest producers of chocolate, biscuits and coffee, with revenue of $36 billion last year.

The EU fined Mondelez "because they have been restricting the cross border trade of chocolate, biscuits and coffee products within the European Union," the EU's competition commissioner, Margrethe Vestager, said.


"This harmed consumers, who ended up paying more for chocolate, biscuits and coffee," she told reporters in Brussels. "This case is about price of groceries. It's a key concern to European citizens and even more obvious in times of very high inflation, where many are in a cost-of-living crisis," she added.

The free movement of goods is one of the key pillars of the EU's single market. Mondelez brands also include Philadelphia cream cheese, Ritz crackers and Tuc salty biscuits as well as chocolate brands Cadbury, Cote d'Or and Milka.