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Turkey Widens Hazelnut Price-Fixing Probe to Ferrero, Six Other Companies

By  |  November 8, 2026
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Turkey has broadened an antitrust investigation into the country’s hazelnut industry to include seven companies, among them Italian confectionery giant Ferrero, as regulators examine whether major buyers worked together to keep prices paid to farmers artificially low.

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    The Turkish Competition Authority announced the expanded investigation Friday, naming Ferrero, Atalay, Balsu, Karaçuha, Ofi, Özyılmaz and Şenocak, according to a Nov. 6 report by Turkish Minute.

    The inquiry will focus on whether the companies coordinated purchasing strategies and prices in ways that restricted competition and disadvantaged growers, the publication reported.

    The investigation adds regulatory pressure on Ferrero, the maker of Nutella and one of Turkey’s largest hazelnut buyers, in a market that plays a central role in the global confectionery supply chain.

    Turkey is the world’s leading producer of hazelnuts, with much of its output originating in agricultural communities along the Black Sea coast. Approximately 400,000 families depend on hazelnut cultivation for their livelihoods, according to Turkish Minute.

    Ferrero’s Purchasing Obligations Under Review

    Beyond the allegations of coordinated pricing, regulators are examining whether Ferrero has honored commitments imposed following an earlier competition investigation.

    Those obligations became legally binding under a March 2024 regulatory decision that resolved a previous inquiry into allegations that Ferrero had abused its dominant position in Turkey’s hazelnut purchasing market, Turkish Minute reported.

    Under the agreement, Ferrero committed to purchasing in-shell hazelnuts at prices no lower than the benchmark established by Turkey’s state-run Grain Board, known as TMO.

    The company also agreed to limit its purchases to 100,000 metric tons per harvest season during the 2024-2026 period.

    A separate requirement calls for Ferrero to purchase at least 45,000 metric tons between September and December 2026, a period when farmers typically face heightened demand for cash after the harvest.

    Regulators will assess whether the company complied with those requirements while also examining the broader purchasing practices of the seven companies under investigation.

    Scrutiny of Agricultural Market Competition

    The expanded inquiry highlights concerns over the influence of large commercial buyers in Turkey’s hazelnut industry, where farmers rely on access to purchasers to sell their crops.

    According to Turkish Minute, investigators are seeking to establish whether coordinated buying practices interfered with competitive price formation, potentially leaving producers with lower returns than they would receive in an independently functioning market.

    The Turkish Competition Authority said it intends to protect growers against practices that could undermine the value of their harvests, according to the regulator’s Nov. 6 announcement.

    The investigation could result in financial penalties if regulators establish violations of Turkish competition law.

    Source: Turkish Minute.