Tyson Foods and Cargill have settled a massive lawsuit alleging the two companies entered into an agreement to stop competing against one another, while continuing to raise beef prices for consumers to boost profit margins. Therefore, customers paid higher prices for multiple beef products from 2014 to 2019.
Tyson was ordered to pay $55 million and Cargill $32.5 million, totaling $87.5 million that will be allocated to affected customers. At this time, only Tyson and Cargill have agreed to settle, while JBS USA Food Company, Swift Beef Company, JBS Packerland, Inc., and National Beef Packing Company, which are also named in the lawsuit, have not.
What Beef Products Are Included in the Settlement?
Customers who purchased a number of fresh or frozen beef products, including chuck, loin, rib, or round primal cuts, can submit their claims now. The settlement website provides a list of all beef products that are included in the settlement.
However, the lawsuit does not include any ground, marinated, seasoned, flavored, breaded, or cooked beef. It also doesn’t include “premium”—like USDA Prime, organic, 100% grass-fed, Wagyu, or “American-Style Kobe Beef”—or “specialty”—like No Antibiotics Ever (NAE), antibiotic-free, kosher, halal, or certified humane—products.
How To Claim Your Settlement Money
If you purchased any of the included beef products for personal consumption in Arizona, California, District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia, or Wisconsin, between Aug. 1, 2014, and Dec. 31, 2019, you are eligible for compensation.
The settlement money will be allocated as an equal share cash payment proportional to the amount of beef that you purchased during the time frame. The amount of money you receive will also depend on how many people submit settlement claims.
You can submit a claim on OverchargedForBeef.com through June 30, 2026. You will not need any receipts to prove your transactions; however, the settlement does require you to enter an estimate of how many months you purchased beef during the specific time period, how many pounds you bought, and how much money you spent. You’ll also select how you want to receive your settlement, whether as a paper check, through Venmo or PayPal, or as a gift card to retailers like Amazon, Starbucks, and Instacart.
For questions regarding this settlement, you can contact the Settlement Administrator at 1-877-283-8711 or [email protected].
