The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU) fined Aquapolyana LLC more than UAH 3.3 million for placing information about the medicinal properties of the product on the labels of Shayanska water without proper evidence, which could have given the company an unfair competitive advantage, the committee’s press service reported.
According to the report, during the investigation, the AMCU found that Aqua-Polyana distributed information on its product labels that could mislead consumers. In particular, the packaging of Shayanska water , unconfirmed medical indications for its use were indicated, including the treatment of gastric and duodenal ulcers, hepatitis, cholecystitis, angiocholitis, chronic pancreatitis, as well as metabolic disorders such as obesity, gout, oxaluria, and phosphaturia.
Aqua-Poliana was unable to provide the AMCU with adequate evidence to confirm the medical indications stated on the Shayanska water label.
According to the Ukrainian Research Institute of Rehabilitation and Balneology of the Ministry of Health, some of these claims were not verified during clinical trials of the product.
In addition, according to a survey conducted by the AMCU, such information could influence consumers’ decisions to purchase water.
As a result, the company could gain a competitive advantage over other mineral water producers not through product quality, but through the dissemination of inaccurate data. For this violation, the company was fined UAH 3,316,752.
The company stopped spreading false info and provided an updated water label. This was taken into account when determining the amount of the fine.
The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU) fined Bauer Medical GmbH Subsidiary Company (Ivano-Frankivsk) a total of UAH 300,000 for false information on the packaging of Heparin Dr. Bauer cream in 25-gram tubes.
According to the AMCU, the committee concluded that the information stating that this cream is an “anti-varicose, anti-edema, and tonic agent” is false and misleading. At the same time, the company did not provide the committee with sufficient evidence to confirm the information about the properties of the cosmetic product.
At the same time, the company acknowledged the violation, ceased it, and recalled and returned the relevant products, which was taken into account by the committee when calculating the amount of the fine.
The AMCU specifies that the company was fined UAH 100,000 for violating the law on protection against unfair competition and another UAH 200,000 for violating the legislation on protection of economic competition.
LLC “Subsidiary Company Bauer Medical GmbH” was founded in 2001 and is engaged in the retail sale of pharmaceutical and cosmetic products. The ultimate beneficiary of the company is Oksana Shevchenko.
The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU) has authorized Agrolife GmbH (Hamburg, Germany) to acquire a stake of more than 50 percent in AMBER AGRO LLC (Mykolaiv).
According to the committee’s website, the AMCU made the relevant decision at a meeting on Thursday.
According to the data of Opendatabot service, Amber Agro LLC was established in 2008 in Nikolaev. It specializes in the cultivation of grains and legumes, oilseeds, as well as the production of ready-made animal feed.
The company’s revenue in 2023 amounted to UAH 19.33 mln, net loss – UAH 9.79 mln, debt obligations – UAH 49.52 mln. Assets are estimated at UAH 16.68 mln. The company employs 19 employees. The authorized capital is UAH 3.02 million. The ultimate beneficiary through the Cyprus-based Inkomela Limited is Boris Skiba. Earlier he was listed among the beneficiaries of Agrolife GmbH.
Agrolife GmbH, according to information on its website, is a supplier of oilseeds, grains and feed additives for livestock on the markets of Germany, the EU and Ukraine. Agrolife GmbH together with Danish Fermentationexperts AS are the founders of European Protein Ukraine LLC (Kiev region).
The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU) has fined Smaragd LTD UAH 17,704,710 for violating the legislation on protection against unfair competition, in particular for disseminating false information on the labels of Buvette 3 (Vital) mineral natural table water, the regulator’s press service reports.
According to the AMCU’s decision, Smaragd Ltd. was found guilty of violating Art. 15-1 of the Law “On Protection Against Unfair Competition”, as it disseminated false information misleading consumers about the properties of Buvette 3 (Vital) still and low-carbon mineral table water, which was placed on 0.5 l, 0.75 l, 1.5 l, 1.7 l bottles.
According to the Opendatabot service, Smaragd LTD was registered in 2004 in Kremenchuk, Poltava region, and in 2021 the company changed its legal address and moved to Dnipro, Dnipro region. The company specializes in the production of bottled soft drinks and mineral waters. It owns the Buvette trademark.
In 2023, the company’s revenue amounted to UAH 769.77 million, net profit – UAH 6.33 million, and debt obligations – UAH 752.13 million. The plant’s assets are estimated at UAH 944.63 million. The company employs 252 people. The authorized capital is UAH 65 million.
The beneficiaries of the company are Yevhen Sharinov and Yevhen Dveris through the Cyprus-based Eliay Investments Limited.
The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU) has launched an investigation into the reasons for the increase in prices for chicken eggs in October 2024, the agency’s press service reports.
According to the regulator’s website, the AMCU has already sent requests for information directly to chicken egg producers, their sellers, and feed producers, whose cost is one of the main components of the cost of chicken eggs.
The regulator reminded that this is not the first time it has responded to the situation with rising egg prices. Thus, in October 2022, a study was launched to investigate the reasons for the increase in prices for chicken eggs in domestic retail chains. The study collected and analyzed information from market participants at each of the stages of the product’s circulation from the producer to the end consumer.
The AMCU also noted that it has expanded the scope of the study on this group of goods, which was launched in September-October 2022, and extended it until October 2024.
“After receiving responses from market participants and further analysis of all factors influencing the pricing behavior of business entities at each of the links in the commodity circulation, final conclusions will be formed on the presence or absence of signs of violation of the legislation on the protection of economic competition in the actions of the participants in the commodity market involved,” the AMCU summarized.
As reported, in October, Ukraine set record high prices for chicken eggs, which exceeded the threshold of 60 UAH per dozen. The Union of Poultry Breeders of Ukraine explained this by the delayed reaction of poultry farmers who worked at a loss in the summer of 2024, while the cost of feed and electricity has risen significantly and the industry cannot work at a loss anymore.
The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU) has fined a number of companies, including enterprises belonging to the Kernel and Continental Farmers Group agricultural holdings, for purchasing assets without obtaining the appropriate permit from the agency, the agency’s press service reports.
According to the report, Poltava-Zerno LLC, a part of Kernel, was fined UAH 170 thousand for violating the legislation on protection of economic competition under clause 12 of Article 50 of the Law “On Protection of Economic Competition” by acquiring assets consisting of movable and immovable property and forming a single property complex without obtaining the necessary permit from the AMCU.
For the same reason, a fine of UAH 3.3 million was imposed on Mriya Farming Karpaty LLC, which is founded by Continental Farmers Group.
In addition, JSC ProCredit Bank was fined UAH 3 million for acquiring assets in the form of a single property complex – movable and immovable property that can support activities in the field of agriculture, which were owned by IDEK-2006 LLC without obtaining the appropriate permit from the AMCU.
