Antitrust Investigation into Beef Prices Now Includes Amazon, Walmart, and Costco
The U.S. Department of Justice has significantly broadened its antitrust investigation into surging beef prices. This week, it formally included eight of America’s largest grocery retailers in the federal inquiry. These include household names such as Amazon, Walmart, Costco, Kroger, Publix, Albertsons, Aldi, and Ahold Delhaize.
Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward sent letters to all eight companies. He requested detailed information on their beef purchasing strategies, retail pricing, profit margins, and market analysis. This covers the past six years. The move expands a probe that originally launched in May. It targeted the so-called “Big Four” meatpackers — JBS, Cargill, Tyson Foods, and National Beef. These companies collectively control more than 85% of U.S. beef processing.
Beef prices remain near record highs, prompting this expansion. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, ground beef averaged $7.116 per pound in July. Prices have risen roughly 10% over the past year. This makes beef one of the leading contributors to food inflation. President Donald Trump, who publicly called for the original investigation, recently announced plans to allow up to 300,000 metric tons of beef imports at lower tariff rates over 90 days. This is to ease supply pressures ahead of the November midterm elections.
Source: Fox Business – DOJ expands beef price antitrust probe to Kroger, Walmart, Costco and others