Multinational chocolate and confectionery producer Ferrero has been targeted by an EU inspection over potential antitrust breaches.

The company confirmed in a statement that unannounced on-site inspections are taking place in its offices, adding that it is fully cooperating and providing any information requested.

The statement follows a European Commission announcement on Monday that it is in the process of inspecting offices of a company in the chocolate confectionery sector in two EU member states over possible antitrust breaches.

The investigation is focused on whether the company is engaged in market segmentation in the form of restricting the trade of goods between member states within the single market and creating obstacles to multi-country purchases.

Unannounced inspections are the first step into suspected anticompetitive practices, but do not mean the company is guilty or prejudice the outcome of the investigation, the Commission added.

Ferrero, creator of Nutella, Kinder, and Ferrero Rocher, is the second largest confectionery and chocolate manufacturer in the world by revenue, bringing in €19 billion in revenue in 2025.

The private, family-owned company was described by the Guardian in 2010 as one of the world’s most secretive companies, having never held a press conference, not allowing facility tours and rarely offering officials for comment to the press.

In 2024, the European Commission fined Cadbury and Nabisco owner Mondelez, Ferrero’s primary competitor, €337 million for anti-competitive practices by restricting cross-border trade of chocolate, biscuits and coffee products.

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