fifteen agri-food players sanctioned for not having communicated about the presence of the endocrine disruptor

These practices are considered “very serious” by the Competition Authority, which on Thursday imposed a fine totaling 19.5 million euros on agri-food companies, including Bonduelle, D’Aucy and Unilever. .

Fifteen agri-food players, including Bonduelle, D’Aucy and Unilever, were fined a total of 19.5 million euros for agreeing between 2010 and 2015 not to communicate “on the presence or not” of the endocrine disruptor bisphenol A in their cans and cans, the Competition Authority announced on Thursday January 11 in a press release.

These practices are judged “very serious” by the Authority “because they deprived consumers of the ability to choose products without bisphenol A, at a time when such products were available and when this substance was already, at the time, considered dangerous for health.” Banned in France since 2015 in food containers, bisphenol A is considered by the National Food Safety Agency (ANSES) as an endocrine disruptor, suspected of being linked to multiple disorders and diseases (breast cancer , infertility, etc.).

“Collective strategy”

The Competition Authority explains that it has decided to sanction three professional canner organizations (Fiac, Adepale, Ania) and the can manufacturers’ union (SNFBM) “for having implemented a collective strategy aimed at preventing manufacturers in the sector from competing on the question of the presence or absence of bisphenol A in food containers (cans, cans, etc.)”.

Eleven companies, “pursued as members of these bodies” and for their “participation in the cartel” were also sanctioned. These are the canners Andros, Bonduelle, Charles et Alice, Cofigeo, Conserves France, D’Aucy, General Mills and Unilever, as well as the can suppliers Ardagh, Crown and Massilly. Contacted by AFP, the Association of Processed Food Products Companies (Adepale) and the Federation of Preserved Food Industries (Fiac) announced that they were going to appeal. They talk about a decision they “strongly contest”.