EU Probes Chocolate Price Fixing

The European Commission suspects candy giant Hershey of conspiring with other chocolate and candy manufacturers in an industry-wide price-fixing scheme, AP reports. Both Hershey and rival Mars recently received requests for information from the commission after some 50 civil lawsuits in the US have alleged price fixing. The two companies say they are cooperating.

 A Canadian investigation of price-fixing among Hershey, Mars, Cadbury and Nestle became public in November 2007, and the German government last week launched an inquiry accusing Mars, Nestle, Kraft and four other confectionery producers of a price-rigging conspiracy. While the US has the world's largest candy market, Europeans are the biggest per-capita consumers of sweets.