Food Industry Settlements

Updated: June 2026

When people think about this year’s food industry trends, they may envision app-based grocery delivery services, the Keto diet, and restaurants that serve all locally-sourced ingredients. But inside federal courthouses across the country, the Department of Justice and civil plaintiffs have been highlighting a darker trend within the food business: price fixing.

Ilana Drescher

Food Court Law Blog

Overview

Price-fixing class action settlements are currently dominating the food industry. A surge of lawsuits was initiated in 2016 against some of the nation’s largest meat and poultry processors. Individual companies, consumers, and the U.S. government contend that top food processors violated federal and state consumer and antitrust laws, as far back as 2012. The lawsuits allege a conspiracy to reduce supply and raise prices of products including beef, pork, broiler chickens, turkey, tuna and salmon.

There is still ongoing litigation for direct and commercial indirect purchasers active in several U.S. District Courts, and it is expected that additional defendants will settle.

If your organization purchased eligible food products during the appropriate class periods, it may be eligible to recover awards from multiple settlements.

Typically, businesses fall into two categories of eligible class members for these settlements: those that purchased products directly from a defendant and those that purchased the defendant's products indirectly to resell (commonly referred to as "Commercial and Institutional Indirect Purchasers").

2026 Update

There is still ongoing litigation for direct and commercial indirect purchasers in several U.S. District Courts. While many of the protein antitrust cases remain active, a number have advanced significantly through settlements, with portions of the beef, pork, turkey, broiler chicken, tuna, and salmon cases now settled or nearing resolution, while claims against remaining defendants continue to proceed.

In addition to the protein cases, several newer food related cases have emerged. A newly formed MDL, In re: Shell Eggs Antitrust Litigation, alleges a price-fixing conspiracy in the conventional fresh shell egg market from January 1, 2022, through the present. Likewise, a recently consolidated action, In re Frozen Potato Products Antitrust Litigation, alleges the four dominant processors of frozen potato products in the U.S. conspired to fix prices for their products in violation of federal and state consumer and antitrust laws.

Finally, litigation involving granulated sugar purchasers continues to move forward, with plaintiffs alleging that major sugar producers and refiners engaged in anticompetitive conduct that resulted in artificially inflated sugar prices paid by businesses and consumers.

Settlement Class Members

• Direct Purchaser Class: Typically, grocers, distributors, wholesalers, and some restaurants.

• Commercial and Institutional Indirect Purchaser Class: Typically, hospitals, schools, universities, nursing homes, caterers, and restaurants.

Immediately Available Opportunities

Direct Settlements:

• Beef

  • Settlement Fund: $82,500,000

  • Settlement Period: January 2015-February 2020

  • Includes organizations nationwide.

  • Filing Deadline: November 30, 2026

Pending Opportunities

Direct Settlements:

• Turkey

  • Settlement Fund: $3,375,000

  • Settlement Period: January 2010-December 2016

  • Includes organizations nationwide.

Commercial and Institutional Indirect Settlements:

• Beef

  • Settlement Fund: $72,000,000

  • Settlement Period: January 2015 - May 2026

  • Includes multiple defendant settlements with varying eligibility by state (some nationwide, some limited to select states).
    

• Pork

  • Settlement Fund: $118,589,000

  • Settlement Period: January 2009 - April 2022

  • Includes organizations in select states.
    

• Turkey

  • Settlement Fund: $7,637,500

  • Settlement Period: January 2010 - January 2017

  • Includes organizations in select states.

Action Required

If data is required to complete your claim, MCAG will work with you to collect internal purchase reports and statements from your food distributor/supplier to build your claim. We're here to help you maximize your recoveries with minimal effort. In the meantime, if you receive any class or settlement notices, please forward them to an MCAG representative for review, and we'll help you unlock your full recovery potential.

Register for MCAG's Settlement Recovery Service

Organizations who are not yet contracted with MCAG may contact one of our representatives to learn how to sign up for our Settlement Recovery Service. There are no upfront fees—MCAG aligns its incentives with yours and charges a percentage of any recoveries obtained on your behalf. If no money is recovered for your organization from the Settlement(s), then MCAG will not charge or retain a fee.

MCAG is not the Settlement/Class Administrator, and this is not the official settlement website.

Need more information? Visit our Help Center for answers to frequently asked questions, settlement updates, and additional resources.