They were fined $160 million and $60 million, respectively, for simultaneously marketing products with labels that have practically imperceptible differences but with different prices.
The Secretary of Commerce, in charge of Matthias Tombolini, fined the companies Unilever and mastellone for $160 million and $60 million, respectively, for simultaneously market and exhibit products with similar characteristics but with labels with almost imperceptible variations and at substantially different pricesa fact that violates the Consumer Defense Law.
In addition, the firms were summoned so that within 24 hours they arbitrate the means so that the questioned products are not offered for sale to consumers and displayed contiguously and simultaneously, in order to avoid misleading, deceiving or confusion to potential consumers.
These fines were the product of different operations by the teams of inspectors from the Secretariat that occurred between October 2022 and March, where it was found that both companies failed to comply with Law 24,240.
In the case of Unilever, two fines of 80 million pesos each were applied. One of them is by marketing the Hellmanns Light mayonnaise Doy Pack of 237 grams in two presentations: a version with the product’s label and another with the legend “Lighter, all the flavor”, which had an increase of 19% compared to the original product. In addition, the firm marketed the CIF ultra-gloss product with the same composition, but with similar labels at two substantially different prices: in this case the difference was 64%.
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In the case of Mastellone, it was fined 60 million pesos for marketing variants of four types of milk from the brand the serenissima Also at different prices. These are Classic, Lighter Classic, Lighter and Less Calorie milk. In this case, its variants included the legend “Source of vitamins C and E” on the labels, but the product was the same. The price difference between the variants and the original milks was 33%.
In addition, in a fact that has no precedents, the two companies must publish the infringement they committed on their social networks and on the networks of the brands involved. Said publication must remain visible for 72 hours.
Source: Ambito
