Justice Department Expands Beef Price Investigation to Major Retailers

The US Department of Justice has expanded its beef price investigation to eight major retailers, including Walmart, Costco, and Amazon.

Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward sent letters dated July 14 requesting six years of data on beef pricing, margins, purchasing strategies, and market analyses.

The inquiry builds on a May probe into the four dominant meatpackers, JBS, Cargill, Tyson Foods, and National Beef, which control more than 85% of US processing capacity.

Ground beef prices have climbed roughly 10% year over year, driven by drought, a 75-year low cattle herd, and industry concentration.