The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) has two collectors of used frying fat a fine of a total of almost 4 million euros was imposed for making price agreements. The companies Nieuwcom and the former Rotie had agreements on purchasing prices from 2012 to 2018, with the aim of keeping these as low as possible and increasing their own profit margin. They also agreed who would collect the frying fat from which location, and competition-sensitive information was shared with each other. In a statement published on Tuesday, ACM wrote that small catering companies, such as restaurants and snack bars, were particularly disadvantaged by the cartel agreements.
The companies collect used frying fat from catering companies and the food industry to process it into biodiesel. If, at the time of the price agreements, one of them had nevertheless visited a supplier who was actually ‘the other’s’ and had offered a price that was too high, there was mutual contact. This mainly took place by e-mail and Whatsapp messages. ACM started an investigation in 2018 following instructions from the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA).
In addition to Nieuwcom and Rotie, which was acquired by the Belgian Quatra in 2020, UCO Kampen also made price agreements with Rotie. Because this company went bankrupt before the start of the proceedings with the ACM, a company fine could no longer be imposed. However, the responsible manager will be fined a personal fine of 1,000 euros. The same applies to the de facto managers of Rotie (126,000 euros) and Nieuwcom (63,000 euros). Because the companies and executives cooperated in the ACM procedure, the fines are lower.
The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) has two collectors of used frying fat a fine of a total of almost 4 million euros was imposed for making price agreements. The companies Nieuwcom and the former Rotie had agreements on purchasing prices from 2012 to 2018, with the aim of keeping these as low as possible and increasing their own profit margin. They also agreed who would collect the frying fat from which location, and competition-sensitive information was shared with each other. In a statement published on Tuesday, ACM wrote that small catering companies, such as restaurants and snack bars, were particularly disadvantaged by the cartel agreements.
The companies collect used frying fat from catering companies and the food industry to process it into biodiesel. If, at the time of the price agreements, one of them had nevertheless visited a supplier who was actually ‘the other’s’ and had offered a price that was too high, there was mutual contact. This mainly took place by e-mail and Whatsapp messages. ACM started an investigation in 2018 following instructions from the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA).
In addition to Nieuwcom and Rotie, which was acquired by the Belgian Quatra in 2020, UCO Kampen also made price agreements with Rotie. Because this company went bankrupt before the start of the proceedings with the ACM, a company fine could no longer be imposed. However, the responsible manager will be fined a personal fine of 1,000 euros. The same applies to the de facto managers of Rotie (126,000 euros) and Nieuwcom (63,000 euros). Because the companies and executives cooperated in the ACM procedure, the fines are lower.
The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) has two collectors of used frying fat a fine of a total of almost 4 million euros was imposed for making price agreements. The companies Nieuwcom and the former Rotie had agreements on purchasing prices from 2012 to 2018, with the aim of keeping these as low as possible and increasing their own profit margin. They also agreed who would collect the frying fat from which location, and competition-sensitive information was shared with each other. In a statement published on Tuesday, ACM wrote that small catering companies, such as restaurants and snack bars, were particularly disadvantaged by the cartel agreements.
The companies collect used frying fat from catering companies and the food industry to process it into biodiesel. If, at the time of the price agreements, one of them had nevertheless visited a supplier who was actually ‘the other’s’ and had offered a price that was too high, there was mutual contact. This mainly took place by e-mail and Whatsapp messages. ACM started an investigation in 2018 following instructions from the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA).
In addition to Nieuwcom and Rotie, which was acquired by the Belgian Quatra in 2020, UCO Kampen also made price agreements with Rotie. Because this company went bankrupt before the start of the proceedings with the ACM, a company fine could no longer be imposed. However, the responsible manager will be fined a personal fine of 1,000 euros. The same applies to the de facto managers of Rotie (126,000 euros) and Nieuwcom (63,000 euros). Because the companies and executives cooperated in the ACM procedure, the fines are lower.
The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) has two collectors of used frying fat a fine of a total of almost 4 million euros was imposed for making price agreements. The companies Nieuwcom and the former Rotie had agreements on purchasing prices from 2012 to 2018, with the aim of keeping these as low as possible and increasing their own profit margin. They also agreed who would collect the frying fat from which location, and competition-sensitive information was shared with each other. In a statement published on Tuesday, ACM wrote that small catering companies, such as restaurants and snack bars, were particularly disadvantaged by the cartel agreements.
The companies collect used frying fat from catering companies and the food industry to process it into biodiesel. If, at the time of the price agreements, one of them had nevertheless visited a supplier who was actually ‘the other’s’ and had offered a price that was too high, there was mutual contact. This mainly took place by e-mail and Whatsapp messages. ACM started an investigation in 2018 following instructions from the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA).
In addition to Nieuwcom and Rotie, which was acquired by the Belgian Quatra in 2020, UCO Kampen also made price agreements with Rotie. Because this company went bankrupt before the start of the proceedings with the ACM, a company fine could no longer be imposed. However, the responsible manager will be fined a personal fine of 1,000 euros. The same applies to the de facto managers of Rotie (126,000 euros) and Nieuwcom (63,000 euros). Because the companies and executives cooperated in the ACM procedure, the fines are lower.