A PYMNTS Company

McDonald’s To Join Broiler Chicken Price-Fixing Suit

By  |  August 17, 2021

McDonald’s filed a suit to join a lawsuit against Agri Stats and the largest poultry companies in the United States, joining a long list of restaurants, grocers and food processors to accuse the poultry industry of conspiring to raise the price of chicken through legal action.

    Get the Full Story

    Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all PYMNTS content — no additional logins required.

    yesSubscribe to our daily newsletter, PYMNTS Today.

    By completing this form, you agree to receive marketing communications from PYMNTS and to the sharing of your information with our sponsor, if applicable, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.

    McDonald’s is seeking damages, post-judgment interest to be awarded at the highest legal rate, and attorneys’ fees, litigation expenses and costs.

    We’d love to be your preferred source for news.

    Please add us to your preferred sources list so our news, data and interviews show up in your feed. Thanks!

    Add as Preferred Source

    The lawsuit alleges that as early as 2008, Pilgrim’s Pride, Sanderson Farms and Perdue Farms, among others, conspired to fix, raise, maintain and stabilize prices of broiler chickens sold to foodservice operators. The defendants accomplished this conspiracy by exchanging with each other — and through Agri Stats — detailed, competitively sensitive non-public information about prices, capacity, sales volume and demand, according to the court filing. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) so far has indicted 14 former executives and managers employed at some of the poultry processing companies named in lawsuits.

    McDonald’s joins a long list of foodservice operators, distributors, grocery retailers and the state of Alaska seeking compensation. Other companies in the lawsuit include Chick-fil-A, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, White Castle and Golden Corral and Bob Evans among others.

    Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.