The Department of Justice expanded its antitrust investigation into soaring beef prices to eight major grocery retailers including Walmart, Costco, Kroger and Amazon, seeking internal pricing data dating back to 2020 as part of a broader effort to understand record-high costs at the checkout counter.
Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward Jr. sent letters to the eight grocers on July 14 and 16, requesting details about their retail beef sales and prices, wholesale purchases, costs, profit margins, and pricing strategies. The DOJ said it is examining whether retailers’ pricing practices have contributed to recent increases in the retail price of beef.
The expansion marks a significant shift in the DOJ’s investigation from the meatpacking sector to the retail level. In May 2026, the department announced an antitrust probe into the “Big Four” meatpackers—Tyson Foods, Cargill, JBS USA and National Beef—which control more than 85% of U.S. beef processing capacity. That initial investigation reviewed more than 3 million documents and included interviews with industry participants.
Beef affordability has become a political priority for the Trump administration. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, beef and veal prices rose 9.4% in the 12 months ending July 2026, with ground beef climbing 9% and reaching approximately $6.89 per pound. Uncooked beef steaks rose 9.6% and roasts climbed 13.5%—all far exceeding the overall 3.4% inflation rate.
Multiple factors have pushed beef prices to record levels. The U.S. cattle herd has shrunk to its lowest size in 75 years, according to the Department of Agriculture, driven by years of drought, elevated feed and fertilizer costs, and ranchers’ decisions to liquidate herds rather than maintain them amid economic pressures. A screwworm outbreak has also constrained foreign beef supplies.
The DOJ’s letters indicate the department is examining whether retailers have engaged in anticompetitive conduct. The agency requested that company personnel brief investigators on how their beef pricing strategies and margins have changed between 2020 and 2026, changes in costs over the same period, and their wholesale arrangements with meatpackers.
Cattle producers’ groups have welcomed the expanded probe. R-CALF USA, a cattle producers’ trade association, said it was encouraged by the investigation, pointing to a widening gap between cattle prices and retail beef prices. The group urged the DOJ to investigate both meatpackers and retailers and to take “meaningful enforcement action wherever anticompetitive conduct is found.”
Analysts expect beef prices to remain elevated well into 2027. Sylvain Charlebois, a professor of food distribution and policy at Dalhousie University in Canada, told Newsweek in mid-August that “the cattle shortage will likely keep beef prices elevated well into 2027.” The years-long process of rebuilding cattle herds means relief at the meat counter is unlikely to come soon, even as the administration pursues multiple policy avenues to address affordability.
Sources
- Fox Business — DOJ expansion to eight retailers, Woodward’s letters, investigation scope, and meatpacker background
- Newsweek — Beef price statistics from Bureau of Labor Statistics, cattle herd data, analyst commentary from Sylvain Charlebois, R-CALF USA statement
- Food Dive — May 2026 DOJ announcement of meatpacker investigation
