The premises of five cooking oil companies were raided by the Competition Commission on Thursday. The commission said it obtained search and seizure warrants from the high courts in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal because it had reasonable grounds to suspect that the five food manufacturers had been engaged in price-fixing since 2007. The companies accused of being in the cartel are: • Wilmar Continental Edible Oils and Fats • DH Brothers Industries trading as Willowton Oil and Cake Mills • FR Waring • Africa Sun Oil Refineries • Epic Foods The searches were done to find evidence for whether the companies "engaged in cartel conduct which includes price-fixing in the market for the manufacture and distribution of refined edible oils including baking fats and margarine", the commission’s statement said. "Food and agro-processing is an important focus area for the Competition Commission, and we are determined to root out exploitation of consumers by cartels that are so prevalent in this sect...
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