All articles tagged with #meatpacking
The U.S. Department of Justice has expanded its antitrust investigation into rising beef prices to include eight major grocery retailers. This move follows an earlier probe into the 'Big Four' meatpackers and aims to determine if retail practices contribute to high consumer costs.
US beef prices have hit record highs due to a shrinking cattle supply from drought and disease. Ranchers face sharply higher input costs (fuel, fencing, hay). Feedlots are paying top-dollar for calves, while the big meatpackers struggle with losses because they must buy cattle at record prices and operate with capacity constraints. Retailers and restaurants can’t fully pass costs to customers, so profits across the chain remain slim. Relief isn’t expected for years, until more cattle reach market.
Beef prices hit a record $9.64 per pound in April, up about 13% year over year, squeezing iconic Texas BBQ joints and forcing closures or drastic changes (e.g., Kirby’s BBQ in Houston). Brisket prices have risen sharply (as high as about $38 per pound for consumers), with other costs pushing shops into survival mode. Industry blame points to inflation, tariffs, and meatpackers who set prices amid a shrinking cattle herd, while regulators investigate meatpackers and policymakers debate tariff responses amid ongoing price pressures.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced a settlement in a meatpacking antitrust case, saying the accord is intended to reduce consumer grocery prices, with Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche speaking at a Washington news conference in May 2026.
Workers at JBS USA's meatpacking plant in Greeley, Colorado, have reached a negotiated agreement with the company after labor talks, signaling a resolution for the site's workforce.
About 3,800 workers at Swift Beef Co.’s JBS USA-owned plant in Greeley, Colo., walked off in the first U.S. beef-slaughterhouse strike in four decades, pressing for higher wages and better healthcare while unions accuse the company of unfair labor practices and PPE cost charges; the company says its offer is fair and accuses the union of stalling negotiations.
Thousands of JBS workers at the Greeley, Colorado meatpacking plant walked off after eight months of failed contract talks over pay and safety—about 3,800 employees picketed—as UFCW Local 7 says management sped up production and shifted costs; JBS says the union ended negotiations and rejected its offer. This marks the first meatpacking strike since 1985.
Thousands of UFCW Local 7 workers at JBS’s Greeley beef plant walked off in the industry’s first strike in 40 years, protesting wages, safety equipment and healthcare as a new contract talks stalled. JBS says it will operate the facility during negotiations, while beef prices rise and policy moves to offset costs add context.
About 3,800 workers at Swift Beef Co.’s Greeley, Colorado, plant are set to strike Monday, the first U.S. beef slaughterhouse walkout since 1985, after union officials accused JBS USA of retaliation and other unfair labor practices during contract talks that expired at midnight Sunday; 99% of workers voted to authorize the strike; management says it will operate two shifts and move production to other facilities, and workers who don’t strike can still work and be paid; the strike occurs amid a 75-year low in U.S. cattle inventories and rising beef prices, with broader industry concerns following the January closure of a Nebraska plant.
President Trump announced an investigation into the meatpacking industry for alleged collusion and price fixing amid rising beef prices, which have surged 13% year over year due to structural issues like drought and labor shortages. The move comes as the administration faces an affordability crisis and industry consolidation, with some companies previously settling price-fixing allegations. The investigation aims to address concerns over artificially inflated prices and foreign ownership influence, but the impact on prices remains uncertain.
The ICE raid on Glenn Valley Foods in Nebraska resulted in the detention of over half the workforce, causing a 70% drop in production and raising concerns about the company's future operations.
A new $400 million meatpacking plant in Nebraska, Sustainable Beef, is transforming perceptions of slaughterhouse work by offering improved conditions, higher pay, and daytime shifts to attract local workers and immigrants, aiming to revitalize the industry and create additional jobs, despite some local concerns about demographic changes.
JBS, the world's largest meatpacker from Brazil, has made a significant comeback and is now listed on the New York Stock Exchange, with some attributing its resurgence to the deal-making era of President Trump, despite ongoing legal issues related to corruption, price-fixing, child labor, and environmental crimes.
Brazilian meat giant JBS made its U.S. public debut on the NYSE at $13.65 per share, valuing the company at around $30 billion, surpassing Tyson Foods. The company, with a history of corruption scandals and a complex reorganization, finally listed after years of planning, despite opposition and regulatory hurdles, and now trades under the ticker 'JBS'.
JBS, the world's largest food company, is planning to list on the NYSE to expand its market share in America, potentially increasing its influence but also facing environmental and political challenges.