ROME, March 26, 2026 — Italy’s competition watchdog has opened an investigation into meal voucher provider Edenred Italia and its parent company Edenred SE over suspected abuse of a dominant position in the national meal voucher market.
The probe was launched by the Italian Competition Authority under Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which prohibits companies from exploiting market power in a way that harms competition.
According to the authority, Edenred may have adopted a strategy to shift costs onto large-scale retail chains after a statutory cap was introduced on the reimbursement fees charged to businesses accepting meal vouchers.
The regulator suspects the company unilaterally changed how electronic meal vouchers are processed, discontinuing direct integration between supermarket checkout systems and Edenred’s authorisation platforms. Retailers were instead required to use third-party interconnection systems, potentially increasing operational costs. The company is also alleged to have imposed other unfavourable conditions, including longer reimbursement periods for vouchers.
The authority warned that higher costs and greater operational complexity for retailers could ultimately lead to increased prices for consumers and disrupt the proper functioning of the market.
As part of the investigation, officials from the authority — assisted by the Guardia di Finanza — carried out inspections at the premises of Edenred Italia. Authorities also searched the offices of other major meal voucher issuers and certain providers of interconnection systems believed to hold relevant documents.
The investigation concerns the provision of meal vouchers to employees as a substitute for workplace canteen services in Italy. The regulator has not yet reached a final conclusion on whether competition rules were breached.
Source: https://en.agcm.it/en/media/press-releases/2026/3/A578
