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General Mills, Mars Accuse Major Sugar Producers of Price-Fixing

By  |  September 8, 2026
Sugar

WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 — General Mills and Mars have sued several of the largest U.S. sugar producers, alleging that suppliers coordinated pricing over a period of years and forced food manufacturers to pay artificially high prices for a critical ingredient.

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    The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Chicago, names United Sugar and ASR Group, the owner of the Domino Sugar brand, among the defendants. The companies are accused of exchanging confidential competitive information through an intermediary as part of an effort to influence sugar prices, according to Reuters.

    The plaintiffs include General Mills, Mars and McKee Foods, the maker of Little Debbie snacks. They said they collectively bought billions of dollars of granulated sugar during the period covered by the alleged scheme, which ran from 2017 through 2024, according to the lawsuit as reported by Reuters.

    The case potentially raises the stakes for an industry whose customers include some of the biggest names in packaged food. General Mills sells products under brands including Pillsbury and Betty Crocker, as well as cereals such as Cheerios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Cocoa Puffs. Mars’ confectionery portfolio includes Snickers, M&M’s and Twix.

    The complaint alleges that competitors improperly shared commercially sensitive information in an effort to manage or stabilize industry pricing. It also contends that granulated-sugar prices climbed to record levels during the period in which the alleged conduct took place, Reuters reported.

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    General Mills and McKee Foods declined to comment to Reuters, while Mars had not immediately responded to the news organization’s request for comment. Jenner & Block represents the plaintiffs.

    Read more: South Korean Regulators Reward Team Behind Major Sugar Price-Fixing Bust

    The new litigation comes as some of the same sugar suppliers are already defending themselves against related antitrust allegations. ASR Group and United Sugar are defendants in a separate proposed class-action case in Minnesota federal court and have denied wrongdoing in that matter, according to Reuters.

    ASR rejected the latest allegations as well. In a statement provided to Reuters on Tuesday, the company characterized the lawsuit as another version of the existing litigation brought on behalf of additional plaintiffs. ASR said the evidence does not substantiate the allegations and that it intends to contest the case.

    United Sugar had not immediately responded to Reuters’ request for comment.

    The dispute puts renewed attention on competition in the U.S. sugar market at a time when large food manufacturers remain sensitive to the cost of ingredients used across products ranging from breakfast cereal and baked goods to chocolate and other confectionery.

    The plaintiffs argue that the alleged coordination deprived buyers of the benefits of normal competition and increased their costs over several years. Whether they can establish those claims will now be tested in federal court.

    Source: Reuters