US Justice Department expands beef price probe to eight retailers

(Corrects day in lede ‌to Tuesday from ​Wednesday)

Sept ​2 (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Justice said in a post on social media platform X on Tuesday that ‌its antitrust division has expanded an investigation on beef affordability ⁠to add eight major retailers, including Walmart and Costco.

The Associate Attorney General Stanley ‌Woodward has sent letters ‌regarding the recent surge in retail prices for beef to a list of companies, which also includes e-commerce giant Amazon, the post ​said.

Here are some details:

• The list of companies the antitrust division is investigating into also includes grocers like Kroger and ⁠Albertsons, Aldi, Publix as well as Ahold Delhaize USA, according to the post

• The antitrust ​division has been conducting a criminal investigation into the conduct of large meatpackers after U.S. President Donald Trump ​accused meatpacking companies of fueling beef prices ‌in the country through manipulation and collusion and ordered the Justice Department to investigate.

• Meatpacker Tyson Foods ⁠earlier this year agreed to pay $82.5 million to settle a proposed class-action lawsuit brought by grocers and other businesses that accused it of conspiring ⁠to inflate U.S. beef prices by restricting supply.

• Tyson Foods, Cargill, JBS USA ​and National Beef Packing Company slaughter about 85% of U.S. grain-fattened cattle that become steaks, beef roasts and other cuts of meat in supermarkets.

• U.S. beef ‌prices hit a record high in May and have been straining wallets of consumers who are already ‌grappling with rising costs of living stoked by soaring gasoline prices ⁠owing to the Middle East ‌conflict.

• The eight retailers ​did not immediately respond to a Reuters requests for comment.

(Reporting by Anuja Bharat Mistry in Bengaluru; Editing by ‌Shailesh Kuber)

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