Brazil’s iFood sued Meituan-backed Keeta over alleged corporate espionage and unfair competition.
Brazilian food delivery app iFood, owned by Dutch investment group Prosus, is suing rival Keeta, controlled by Chinese group Meituan, for alleged unfair competition in Brazil.
In a lawsuit filed with a business court in Sao Paulo, iFood requested a judicial order for its rival to change its business practices and pay moral damages of 1 million reais, plus additional compensation to be determined, according to documents obtained by Reuters.
In the lawsuit, iFood alleges that consulting firms approached its employees to obtain confidential business information in exchange for "significant compensation."
In a statement to Reuters, Keeta said it advocates for an open and fair market, in full compliance with all requirements. The company denied hiring third parties to approach individuals on its behalf for such purposes, and added it had not received any formal notification.
In its lawsuit, iFood said it identified a now-former employee who accepted one such proposal and met via videoconference while still at the company, leading to a police investigation, including the search and seizure of electronic devices.
Through these measures, iFood said it obtained documents showing that accounts linked to the Meituan domain had taken part in the conversations.
Keeta announced its entry about a year ago into the Brazilian food delivery market dominated by iFood, with an initial investment of approximately $1 billion dollars. However, the company faced intense competition and was forced to postpone its planned March 2026 launch in Rio de Janeiro. According to Keeta’s management, exclusive agreements imposed on restaurants by rival platforms prevent more than half of the country’s chains from partnering with the service.
In April, Brazil’s antitrust authority CADE launched a probe into the food delivery market following a complaint by Keeta against rival platform 99Food. The regulator is also continuing an administrative investigation into exclusive contracts between iFood and the Brazilian Association of Bars and Restaurants (Abrasel).
Source: Reuters
