MOSCOW, August 25 (RAPSI) – The Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) has opened a case against company Lindt und Sprüngli (Russia) after finding differences in the quality of chocolate products sold under the same Lindt brand in Russia and in Western European countries, according to a body’s statement.

In December 2019, as it has been reported earlier, the Service warned Lindt Russia and some other companies that they were to cease their actions giving grounds to suggest possible violations of the antimonopoly legislation. At that time FAS said Lindt stressed its longstanding production traditions, strong reputation as a manufacturer, and guaranteed quality of its products.

The Service believes such information placed on Lindt products packages made consumer form the impression that they were offered the same products as those manufactured and sold in Western European countries, whereas, as FAS alleges, these products due to various reasons were adapted for the Russian market and sold without any notice thereof.

Although the use of such terms as “standard,” “traditions,” “quality” with respect to products of this or that region is a longstanding marketing practice, the statement reads, the cases where they are applied to adapted products not labeled as such make the Service investigate if there are signs of violations of the antimonopoly law, as such actions on the part of manufacturers may result in redistribution of demand and, therefore, unjustified business advantages for such manufacturers, what negatively affects competition, according to Deputy FAS Head Andrey Kashevarov.