CANBERRA, Australia: Australia's competition watchdog has taken four fresh produce suppliers and three executives to court, accusing them of running a years-long price-fixing scheme that affected vegetables sold in ALDI supermarkets.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said it had launched civil proceedings in the Federal Court, alleging that between 2018 and 2024, the suppliers coordinated prices for staple items such as broccoli, cauliflower, iceberg lettuce, cucumber, Brussels sprouts, and zucchini.

According to the regulator, 28 instances occurred in which two or more suppliers allegedly struck deals to control or maintain the prices of household vegetables sold through ALDI, Australia's third-largest supermarket chain.

"Businesses acting together instead of competing can drive up prices and harm consumers, while disadvantaging other businesses that are seeking to compete fairly," ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said.

ALDI could not immediately be reached for comment.

The lawsuit is the latest step in the ACCC's broader scrutiny of Australia's grocery sector. In March, the regulator said the country's dominant supermarket chains had benefited from widened profit margins even as shoppers faced rapidly rising shelf prices.