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Tyson Foods Reaches $82.5 Million Deal to Resolve Beef Price-Fixing Claims

By  |  January 5, 2026

Tyson Foods has agreed to pay $82.5 million to resolve a proposed class-action lawsuit filed by grocery chains and other businesses that alleged the company worked with rivals to artificially raise U.S. beef prices, according to per Reuters.

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    The proposed settlement was disclosed on Wednesday in filings made with the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. Per Reuters, attorneys representing the plaintiffs said they are in the process of finalizing the agreement and expect to submit it to a judge for approval. Tyson and lawyers for the businesses that brought the case did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

    The lawsuit was brought by grocery stores, food distributors and other companies that purchased beef products directly from Tyson. They accused the meat producer, along with several other major beef processors, of coordinating to limit beef supply in order to drive up prices for consumer-ready beef products between 2015 and 2022, per Reuters.

    Among the named plaintiffs are Redner’s Markets, based in Pennsylvania, and Mississippi-based R&D Marketing. Lawyers for the buyers estimated that the proposed class includes thousands of so-called direct purchasers of beef products, according to per Reuters.

    The agreement with Tyson marks the second settlement involving direct purchasers in the long-running antitrust litigation. Previously, JBS USA agreed to pay $52.5 million to settle similar claims. That settlement was approved by a judge in 2022, and JBS denied any wrongdoing in reaching the deal, per Reuters. Tyson and JBS are the two largest defendants in the case, while remaining defendants Cargill and National Beef did not immediately respond to inquiries.

    Related: Judge Grants Preliminary Approval to Tyson’s $85 Million Pork Price-Fixing Settlement

    Tyson, headquartered in Arkansas and the largest meat producer in the United States, has already resolved related claims in the broader beef litigation. Per Reuters, the company previously agreed to pay $55 million to settle consumer lawsuits accusing it of price-fixing in the beef market.

    The company has also faced scrutiny beyond beef pricing. Earlier this year, Tyson agreed to pay $85 million to settle a separate proposed consumer class-action lawsuit alleging a conspiracy with competitors to inflate pork prices, according to per Reuters.

    The case is titled In re Cattle and Beef Antitrust Litigation and is being heard in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota under case number 0:22-md-03031-JRT-JFD.

    Source: Reuters