Dive Brief:

• The settlement of a class-action lawsuit claiming price-fixing in the Canadian chocolate market will see Cadbury Adams Canada Inc., Hershey Canada Inc., Nestle Canada Inc. and Mars Canada Inc. pay CA$23.2 million.
• The four chocolate producers and distributor ITWAL Limited deny the allegations and their lawyers say the settlement was made to avoid expense and inconvenience.
• Canadians who bought Cadbury, Hershey, Nestle or Mars chocolate between Feb. 1, 2001, and Dec. 31, 2008—along with consumers and commercial purchasers who spent at least CA$1,000 on chocolate products between Oct. 1, 2005, and Sept. 30, 2007—are eligible to make a claim by Dec. 15, 2013.

Dive Insight:

Chocolate lovers looking to get a chip of the settlement may be eligible for as much as CA$1,000 if they have purchase records, but they can still get as much as CA$50 with no records at all. The Canadian chocolate settlement follows Hershey Canada's June guilty plea in relation to the price-fixing. The company was fined CA$4 million and agreed to work with federal prosecutors, but Nestle, Mars and ITWAL all plan to defend themselves in a trial beginning Oct. 3.