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US: Former StarKist exec charged with price fixing

By  |  June 6, 2017

A former tuna company executive faces one charge of conspiring with officials from other tuna companies to fix the price of canned seafood from 2011 to 2013, according to a court filing.

Stephen Hodge was charged on May 30 through a “criminal information,” a type of charging document prosecutors tend to use in connection with people who are negotiating plea deals.

StarKist said in a statement that Hodge had worked for the company but left in December 2013. “StarKist has cooperated and is continuing to fully cooperate with the investigation,” StarKist said.

The Justice Department declined to say if a plea agreement would be coming. Hodge could not be reached for comment.

The canned tuna market in the United States has long been dominated by three companies. Thai Union’s Chicken of the Sea is the largest, followed by Bumble Bee and StarKist. In December 2015, the Justice Department stopped Thai Union Group from buying Bumble Bee.

Full Content: Food Dive

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