Latest Stories — Food & Power

Trump’s Antitrust Enforcers Could Kill Unfinished Cases. Will They?

Federal antitrust enforcers have outstanding cases against AgriStats, Kroger and Albertsons, and Corteva and Syngenta. What will happen to them during a Trump administration?

EnforcementClaire KellowayNovember 14, 2024Primary Feature, Antitrust, FTC, DOJ, Trump, agri stats, Corteva, Syngenta, Robinson-Patman

Revelations from the Kroger-Albertsons Trial

Internal communications reveal instances when Kroger only lowered its prices after Albertsons did. Plus new evidence that C&S will struggle to manage over 550 divested stores.

Mergers & Acquisitions, EnforcementClaire KellowaySeptember 13, 2024Kroger, Albertsons, FTC, Secondary Feature

Sugar Companies Accused of Price-Fixing

The DOJ may have failed to block a major sugar merger, but documents from their trial raised red flags for sugar buyers who now accuse sugar companies of price-fixing.

Chicken Farmers’ Antitrust Suit Clears Hurdle, Plus New Data on Agribusiness Lobbying Might

New report shows special interests spent half a billion lobbying on the latest farm bill and chicken growers wage-fixing suit survives class certification.

Washington AG Sues to Block Kroger-Albertsons Merger

Kroger and Albertsons sell over half of all groceries in Washington state. State antitrust enforcers say that their merger will raise prices and harm workers and they’re suing to stop the deal.

2023 Year End Round Up

A recap of some of our biggest stories of 2023 and a look ahead to antimonopoly action expected in 2024.

Jury Finds Egg Companies Guilty of Price-Fixing

After 15 years in the courts, last week a federal jury found the two largest egg companies guilty of conspiring to cut the egg supply and raise prices.

Why Albertsons and Kroger's Spinoff Deal Won’t Work

Checking in on antitrust review of Kroger and Albertson’s proposed merger, one year later.

Justice Department Challenges Information-Sharing Scheme Between Meat Processors

Agri Stats collects and shares detailed data on meat companies’ prices, wages, production levels, and profit margins. Antitrust enforcers say that meat packers used this information to fix prices and suppress wages.

EnforcementClaire KellowayOctober 5, 2023enforcement, agri stats, meatpacking, price fixing, DOJ, Secondary Feature

Antitrust Enforcers Draft New Guidelines for Approving Mergers. Here’s What It Means for the Food Industry.

DOJ and FTC set new standards for reviewing mergers and acquisitions that take a stronger stance against concentrated market structures, vertical integration, harms to suppliers, and more.

Policy, EnforcementClaire KellowayAugust 10, 2023FTC, DOJ, merger guidelines, mergers, vertical integration, Secondary Feature

Class Action Alleging Sheep Herder Wage-Fixing Moves Forward

Sheep ranchers hire guest workers, the bulk of their workforce, through a joint venture that offers the same, legal minimum wage across all openings. A class action suit alleges this violates antitrust laws.

FTC Says Pesticide Companies Paid to Block Cheaper Competitors, Raising Prices

The FTC alleges that Syngenta and Corteva maintained pesticide monopolies by paying distributors not to carry generic products. Pesticide firms aren’t the only businesses using pay-to-block schemes.