Updated: April 2024
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").
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 Settlements
Direct Settlements:
Broiler Chicken
Settlement Fund: $115,050,150
Filing Deadline: June 1, 2024
Settlement Period: January 2008 - December 2019
Includes organizations nationwide.
Pending Opportunities
Direct Settlements:
Pork
Settlement Fund: $9,750,000
Settlement Period: June 2014-June 2018
Includes organizations nationwide.
Turkey
Settlement Fund: $4,625,000
Settlement Period: January 2010 - January 2017
Includes organizations nationwide.
Commercial and Institutional Indirect Settlements:
Beef
Settlement Fund: $25,000,000
Settlement Period: January 2015 - TBD
Includes organizations in select states.
Broiler Chicken
Settlement Fund: $2,800,000
Settlement Period: January 2009-July 2019
Includes organizations in select states.
Pork
Settlement Fund: $54,750,000
Settlement Period: January 2009 - April 2022
Includes organizations in select states.
Turkey
Settlement Fund: $1,750,000
Settlement Period: January 2010 - January 2017
Includes organizations in select states.
Action Required
If you are interested in MCAG filing a claim on your behalf, don't hesitate to contact us at 800-355-0466. 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? Call MCAG at 1-800-355-0466 to learn more or CLICK HERE to complete our contact form and an MCAG representative will respond shortly.