There’s yet another price-fixing lawsuit in the United States, this time retailers accusing pork processors.
Supermarket chains including Albertsons Cos., Hy-Vee Inc., Kroger Co., Save Mart Supermarkets and food distributor U.S. Foods Inc. are accusing the pork packers for price-fixing back to 2009.
Named in the lawsuit are Hormel Foods Corp., JBS USA, Seaboard Foods, Smithfield Foods Inc., Triumph Foods and Tyson Foods Inc
The retailers claim the pork packers engaged in a coordinated effort to minimize production and boost prices by lowering the number of hog farms in operation by 70 per cent.
Nearly all of the defendants already are facing similar accusations in lawsuits filed by restaurant chains Buffalo Wild Wings, Sonic and Jimmy John’s in Florida late last year.
New York wholesaler Jetro Holdings also filed a suit alleging pork price collusion against the same companies in violation of the Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914 in August and referenced the similar broiler antitrust lawsuit filed in 2016 that sparked several settlements in early 2021.
