EU regulators levy cartel charge at 13 food packagers

BRUSSELS, Sept 28 (Reuters) - EU antitrust regulators charged 13 food packaging producers and distributors with fixing prices and sharing markets in breach of European Union rules.

The European Commission said on Friday it had sent a statement of objections, or a charge sheet, to the companies listing the suspected infringements. It did not identify the firms in line with its usual policy.

"(The companies) behaviour, if established, may have affected direct customers, such as supermarkets, and ultimately end-consumers," the EU antitrust watchdog said in a statement.

It said the companies were also suspected of allocating customers, exchanging commercially sensitive information and rigging bids. The products are used in the packaging of foods like fish, meat, cheese in the retail sector.

The firms can be fined up to 10 percent of their global turnover if found guilty of breaching EU rules. (Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Ben Deighton)