Tyson Foods has agreed to pay $85 million to settle claims that it conspired with rivals to inflate pork prices, the largest settlement to date in a series of antitrust lawsuits targeting major U.S. meat producers.
The agreement, filed in federal court in Minneapolis, brings total consumer recoveries in the litigation to $208 million. Other companies, including JBS, Hormel Foods and Smithfield Foods, have previously reached deals, with Smithfield paying $75 million in 2022.
The lawsuits were initiated by a wide group of buyers, ranging from supermarket operators like Kroger to restaurant chains such as McDonald's, who alleged that pork producers coordinated supply cuts to drive up costs in the $20 billion U.S. pork market.
Tyson, based in Springdale, Arkansas, is the last publicly traded company to resolve claims in the case. The settlement still requires approval from U.S. District Judge John Tunheim. Tyson and attorneys for the consumer plaintiffs did not immediately comment.
The resolution underscores growing scrutiny of the meatpacking sector, where just a handful of firms control much of the market. According to Reuters, this is the largest consumer settlement reached in the pork price-fixing litigation since it began more than seven years ago. The Wall Street Journal has reported that beef and poultry producers have faced similar allegations, signaling broader antitrust concerns across the U.S. food industry.
