The U.S. Department of Justice sent letters to eight major grocery retailers on September 2, expanding its antitrust investigation into rising beef prices to include Walmart, Costco, Kroger, Amazon, Albertsons, Aldi, Publix, and Ahold Delhaize USA.
Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward Jr. dated the letters July 14 and addressed them to each company regarding “recent increases in the retail price for beef.” The DOJ said beef prices are “a critical concern to Americans, and a priority for this Justice Department.”
The letters request detailed information on retailers’ beef pricing strategies, profit margins, costs, and purchasing arrangements covering the period from 2020 through 2026. Federal antitrust officials are also seeking records related to retail beef sales and prices, wholesale purchases from meatpackers, and analyses of trends in both wholesale and retail beef prices. The DOJ requested that company personnel brief investigators on how their beef pricing strategies and margins have changed over the six-year period, changes in their costs, and their wholesale arrangements for purchasing beef from meatpackers.
This expansion marks the second phase of a broader federal investigation into the beef industry. In May 2026, the DOJ announced a criminal antitrust probe into the “Big Four” meatpackers—Tyson Foods, Cargill, JBS, and National Beef—which collectively slaughter about 85% of U.S. grain-fattened cattle. The investigation was launched after President Donald Trump accused meatpacking companies of manipulating beef prices through collusion and supply restrictions.
Beef prices have become a significant consumer concern. The U.S. Department of Agriculture forecasts beef and veal prices will rise 9.8 percent in 2026, outpacing broader food inflation of 2.5 percent. Ground beef prices are up 18 percent from January 2025, according to NBC News data tracking. The surge reflects both supply constraints and market concentration—the U.S. cattle herd reached its lowest level since the 1950s, with 86.2 million head of cattle and calves as of January 1, 2026.
Meatpacker Tyson Foods previously agreed to pay $82.5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit filed by grocers and other businesses that accused it of conspiring to inflate beef prices by restricting supply. The DOJ’s expansion to the retail level suggests investigators are examining whether high prices result from market concentration at the meatpacking stage, retail pricing decisions, or both.
The investigation reflects broader Trump administration efforts to address food costs. Trump signed executive orders to expand meat processing and livestock competition, including a proposal to allow farmers and ranchers “the right to process their own food” in an effort to bypass what the administration called a “nasty monopoly” in the meat industry.
Sources
- Reuters — DOJ announcement, letter details, meatpacker market share, Tyson Foods settlement
- Fox Business — Letter scope, information requests, cattle herd data, Trump administration initiatives
- USDA Economic Research Service — 2026 beef price forecast (9.8 percent), broader food inflation comparison
- NBC News — Ground beef price increase from January 2025 (18 percent)
