NEW YORK, New York— McDonald’s has filed a federal lawsuit against the nation’s four largest meat suppliers, accusing them of conspiring to fix beef prices for nearly a decade.
In a complaint filed last Friday in U.S. District Court in New York, McDonald’s named Tyson Foods, JBS, Cargill, and National Beef Packing Company — along with their subsidiaries — as defendants. The fast-food giant alleges the companies engaged in anticompetitive practices by coordinating to limit beef supply, resulting in inflated prices that McDonald’s and other buyers were forced to pay.
According to the lawsuit, the alleged price-fixing scheme began as early as January 2015 and remains ongoing. McDonald’s claims the companies manipulated the market by intentionally curbing beef production to artificially raise prices, violating federal antitrust laws.
McDonald’s is seeking a jury trial and has asked the court for damages related to the alleged overpricing of beef. None of the named companies have yet commented on the lawsuit.