Tyson Fresh Meats Inc., JBS USA Food Co., Hormel Foods Corp., and other top U.S. pork processors must face claims that they fixed prices for years through secret data exchanges and coordinated public statements, a federal judge in Minneapolis ruled Friday, giving the case a green light on the second try.
“The new allegations give individualized content to what the original pleading showed: After nearly a decade of sustained growth, pork supply decreased,” followed by “a massively atypical jump in the price of pork,” Judge John R. Tunheim wrote.
“Given the inherent difficulty of obtaining ...