A few hundred million euro fine – this may be the largest sugar producer in the world cope. The Mannheim-based Südzucker Group came out last year to a profit of 240 million euros. The group, with 29 sugar factories in a dozen European countries together with Nordzucker (Braunschweig) and Pfeifer & amp; Langen (Cologne) in Germany an oligopoly. And that can be dangerous – for customers and corporations. A few years ago, the Bundeskartellamt determined on suspicion of price fixing among the three sugar producers and thereby rely on the statements of Nordzucker – from the perspective of the investigator a witness, from the perspective of the two competitors an informer. Anyway, it came in 2014 comparing with the Cartel: Südzucker paid 195 million, Pfeiffer & amp; Langen just over 70 million and Nordzucker came because of the special role with a seven-figure sum thereof. But that is far out the matter.
Three dozen food companies complain
On Friday, the Landgericht Mannheim negotiated the action of Saxon chocolate manufacturer Goldeck (Zetti) against Südzucker. Goldeck wants for damages to high sugar prices and communicates with this request not alone – eventually needs almost every food manufacturer sugar: In Mannheim over 20 cases are pending, in Hannover complained last eight food companies in Cologne, there are four. But Bauer, Ehrmann and Zentis demand by sugar producers 119 million euros. Overall, there is talk of 500 million euros. Südzucker defends itself by arguing that the applicants no damage has arisen. That is not entirely misguided, since the affected companies have the cost of the sugar naturally passed on to their customers, the consumers. . Nearly 20 kilos of sugar consumed the average German in
2017 sugar market is liberalized
About the dimension of the legal dispute makes you look at the market leader no illusion: “This is us in the coming years deal, “said a spokesman for Südzucker. However, you have more important topics on the agenda. For example, the end of the sugar market regulation in 2017, after the European market is free of sugar from overseas, from Brazil, Australia and India, which are the major sugarcane producer. 113 countries produce sugar – 71 of them from sugar cane, which is much more economical than the processing of beet. In temperate countries, in Europe and North America, in China and Japan, the sugar is extracted from sugar beet, in the subtropical growing regions growing sugarcane. Especially in Brazil: 50 of the 177 million tonnes that were produced in 2015 worldwide, originated from Brazil. Therefore, the country is also the largest producer of bioethanol.
18 million tonnes of sugar beet yield 4.5 million tonnes of sugar
In Germany ranged over 18 million tons of beets for 4.5 million tons of sugar. Of this land, almost 90 percent in the sugar processing industry, ie food producers. Eleven percent were sold as table sugar in the form of refined sugar, powder, sugar cubes, candy and other varieties in the food trade. After all, one million tons of export, the three German manufacturers that concentrate in the team of the sugar industry interests. Its precursor is the way of the “Association of beet sugar industry in Zollverein”, founded in 1850 and thus the oldest industry association in Germany.
The market leader Südzucker, founded in 1926, traces the partnership to the south German beet farmers whose products basis of Business are and have the largest shareholder group also significant influence on the group. Südzucker came with sugar, pizza, ethanol and fruit juice concentrates least on an annual turnover of 6.4 billion euros. In the dispute with the Cartel Office, the company with its almost 17 000 employees had years ago a on the expensive compared to avoid years of proceedings. That could be the strategy again now. Sugar producers and sugar processors can have a conflictual relationship not afford.
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