Tyson, Clemens, & Triumph Agree to Pay $64 Million in Pork Price-Fixing Settlement

Key Takeaways

• $64 Million Settlement: Tyson Foods, Clemens Food Group, and Triumph Foods have agreed to pay a combined $64 million to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging pork price-fixing.
• Largest Share from Tyson: Tyson will contribute $50 million, Clemens $10 million, and Triumph $4 million under the proposed settlement.
• No Admission of Wrongdoing: All three companies deny any liability but opted to settle to avoid the costs and uncertainties of continued litigation.
• Class Action Scope: The settlement covers food service providers and distributors who bought pork directly from the defendants between 2014 and 2018, including Maplevale Farms and Ferraro Foods.
• Ongoing Antitrust Pressure: The case, first filed in 2018, is part of a broader series of antitrust actions against meat producers and follows earlier settlements totaling over $180 million.

Deep Dive

Three of the country’s major pork producers have agreed to settle a long-running class-action lawsuit over alleged price-fixing, contributing a combined $64 million to resolve claims that they conspired to inflate pork prices. The agreement, filed in federal court in Minnesota this week, brings the total recovery in the case to over $180 million and adds a new chapter to one of the largest antitrust battles in the food industry.

Tyson Foods, Clemens Food Group, and Triumph Foods, all of whom continue to deny any wrongdoing, agreed to the settlement to avoid prolonged litigation and mounting legal costs, according to a court filing reviewed by Reuters. The lawsuit accused the companies of violating U.S. antitrust laws by engaging in a coordinated scheme to limit supply and manipulate pork prices between 2014 and 2018.

The proposed settlement, which still requires preliminary approval from U.S. District Judge John Tunheim, allocates $50 million to be paid by Tyson, $10 million by Clemens, and $4 million by Triumph. The companies declined to comment on the settlement.

The case was initially filed in 2018 and has since expanded to include multiple suits brought by both consumers and commercial buyers. Among the class members are food service providers and distributors including Maplevale Farms, Ferraro Foods, and Olean Wholesale Grocery Cooperative, which claimed they paid artificially high prices for pork products as a result of the alleged conspiracy.

This latest settlement follows earlier agreements in the same litigation and highlights the mounting financial pressure on large food conglomerates facing antitrust scrutiny. It also follows a similar $32.5 million settlement in a separate case involving turkey processors, including Cargill, over allegations of price manipulation in that market.

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