US food maker Kraft Heinz is reportedly facing an investigation in Venezuela over allegations the company is hoarding basic food items.
In his weekly television programme, Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro said an investigation will be launched into whether the company is deliberately “sabotaging” the country’s economy.
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“Tomorrow they [investigators] are going first thing, and they will look into what’s happening at the Heinz company and if the directors are sabotaging [the economy],” Maduro purportedly said.
Maduro ordered the investigation after Kraft Heinz employees reportedly claimed the company’s factories are capable of meeting the country’s food shortage but the company’s directors had stopped plants operating at full capacity.
The Venezuelan government has claimed corporations are deliberately hoarding food items to manufacture food shortages ahead of parliamentary elections, scheduled for this Sunday (6 December). Importers have also been accused of holding on to foodstuffs to benefit from currency exchange and high inflation rates.
A spokesperson for Kraft Heinz told just-food the company has no comment on the accusations.
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By GlobalData
