DOJ Expands Beef Price Investigation to Major Retailers

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has expanded its investigation into beef affordability to include eight major retailers in the country. The expansion comes after the DOJ launched an antitrust probe in May into the 'Big Four' meatpackers, JBS, Cargill, Tyson Foods, and National Beef, which control more than 85% of the US beef processing market.

The retailers under investigation are Kroger, Publix, Walmart, Albertsons, Aldi, Ahold Delhaize, Costco, and Amazon. The DOJ said it was reviewing recent increases in retail prices for beef and has sent letters to the eight companies regarding this matter.

The investigation aims to determine whether concentration in the meatpacking industry has contributed to high beef prices. Federal officials have been examining over 3 million documents and interviewing industry participants as part of their probe.