Tyson Foods, a U.S. meat producer based in Springdale, Arkansas, has agreed to pay $85 million to settle claims that it conspired with competitors to inflate pork prices. The settlement, filed in federal court in Minneapolis, marks the largest resolution to date in a series of antitrust lawsuits targeting major meatpacking companies.
The case, which began more than seven years ago, was brought by a wide group of pork buyers, including supermarket chains such as Kroger and restaurant operators like McDonald’s. Plaintiffs alleged that leading producers coordinated supply reductions to drive up costs in the $20 billion pork market. If approved by U.S. District Judge John Tunheim, the settlement will bring total consumer recoveries in the litigation to $208 million.
Other producers, including JBS, Hormel Foods, and Smithfield Foods, have reached earlier settlements, with Smithfield paying $75 million in 2022. Tyson is the last publicly traded company to resolve claims in the case, which highlights increasing scrutiny of market concentration in the U.S. meat industry. According to Reuters, this is the largest consumer settlement in pork price-fixing litigation so far. Tyson and attorneys for the consumer plaintiffs have not yet commented on the court filing.
