Lactalis admits price fixing

British cheese maker Lactalis McLelland admitted it was part of a dairy price fixing ring which cost Britain’s consumers around £270 million (€358.6 million), joining a list of firms admitting antitrust violations.

The UK’s Office of Fair Trading (OFT) says the “Seriously Strong” cheddar maker had admitted involvement in alleged anti-competitive practices in the retail price of cheese. The company will now receive a “significant reduction in the financial penalty that could otherwise have been imposed”, according to the OFT.

In December retailers Sainsbury and Asda admitted raising prices unfairly in collaboration with dairy companies. Rival chain Tesco continues to fight the charges.