A proposed class-action settlement worth nearly $8 million, and stemming from allegations of price manipulation with some beef products, could eventually see some Canadian customers receive compensation, pending court approval.
Price-fixing is an anti-competitive agreement where businesses collude to set and maintain prices for goods and services. In the past, these price-fixing schemes wound up costing consumers, who may have faced unnecessarily higher prices for some beef products.
The proposed beef price-fixing settlement was announced Thursday in a release after two of the companies involved agreed to the terms.
The class action alleges the companies “participated in an unlawful conspiracy to fix, maintain, control, or lessen the production or supply of beef and fix, raise, maintain, or stabilize the price of beef sold to purchasers in Canada, starting at least as early as Jan. 1, 2015.”
The class action began in 2022, according to the settlement documents, and was brought forward by several legal teams. This included CFM Lawyers LLP and Strosberg Wingfield Sasso LLP in B.C., and, in Québec, Belleau Lapointe LLP.
A similar bread price-fixing class action in Canada involving a group of companies — mainly Loblaw Inc. and its parent, George Weston Limited, along with Canada Bread Company — resulted in about $500 million in settlements and compensation for consumers who paid artificially higher prices for some bread products from 2001 to 2015.
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One of the companies that agreed to the beef price-fixing settlement is JBS, which is considered the largest meat processing company in the world. The settlement agreement includes the following JBS subsidiaries: JBS USA Company, Swift Beef Company, JBS Packerland Inc. and JBS Canada ULC.
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The National Beef Packing Company, LLC — aka “National Beef” — also agreed to the settlement terms.
JBS has agreed to pay $7,498,700 to class members, while National Beef has agreed to pay $495,000. This means nearly $8 million could be distributed among eligible class members once legal fees and other related costs are deducted.
The settlement agreement defines “Class Members” as eligible customers who purchased fresh and frozen raw beef products for personal consumption or resale in Canada on or after Jan. 1, 2015, and excludes certain purchases, including those made through the food service industry.
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The release also mentions two other companies, Cargill and Tyson, which are not part of the agreement, as class actions against them are ongoing.
Under the settlement, the companies which agree to its terms would pay money to resolve the claims against them without admitting wrongdoing. The documents say this represents “compromises of disputed claims.”
In other words, companies that agree to the settlement won’t have to go to court to dispute the claims, nor will the plaintiffs’ legal teams be required to submit evidence to support their allegations of price-fixing.
“The Settled Amount shall be distributed to Settlement Class Members in accordance with the Distribution Protocol and the orders of the Courts,” the settlement agreement says.
Canadians who want to opt out of the class action have until Aug. 10, 2026, to do so.
The first approval hearing will take place in a B.C. court on Sept. 10, 2026, covering B.C. and all Canadian class members other than those in Quebec.
The Quebec approval hearing will take place separately on Dec. 1. 2026.
If the courts approve the settlements, details on when and how the money will be distributed among qualifying Canadians will be made public.
As a senior it is impossible to buy beef or any kind of meat.
The cost of meat is outrageous..cant afford to buy what i want. As a senior. Its impossible. Theresa yaraskavitch
I’m in. Just tell me where to sign up.
Hi,
I was reading this article and also saw a segment on the news.
My questions for anyone out there is why would Companies pay out millions of dollars and then claim no wrongdoing? It is like you or me paying money to absolute stangers but saying we do not know why but we just pay it. I don’t think so.
There must be something seriously wrong with our judicial system to allow something like this to even be possible or allowed.
Honestly, where is the accountability and how can Companies even get away with this happening? Where is the transparency and who is monitoring these Companies and why they are getting so wealthy?
First the bread now the beef and I wonder what is next?
I simply cannot wrap my head around this no matter how hard I try as it just does not make sense.
How does one join into the class action? gskochyles@gmail.com
How does one register to join into the class action? Email address is gskochyles@gmail.com
So they’ll “pay back” a tiny fraction of what they stole, and receive a get-out-of-jail-free card in return.
We are cursed with oligopolies across the food spectrum – and in many other industries as well – and the tycoons have impressive control over policy and legislation and prosecution. How in the world can it be that still nobody has gone to jail in the vast bread-price-fixing scandal? “The investigation continues” they say.
@Ron. And yet I buy my beef from a local butcher (kill to wrap) for less. So I guess not all of the industry is in collusion to rip of Ron.
I guess the journalist decided not providing any details as to what was going on is ok. How about a class action suit against the journalism industries and universities that trained them.
We will call it the “Failure to provide the 5 W’s of a proper news story due to laziness or incompetence’ suit.
Makes no difference. A steak is $80 at superstore. Ground beef is almost $50 for a package that was $15 before COVID.
The Brazilian owned JBS is one of the three beef processing corporations in Canada. The Federal Government has made rules and regulations (because of massive political donations) so small and medium beef processing plants cannot compete with the big three.
The result is the big three set the consumer prices for beef. They also set the prices of what Alberta farmers get for their beef and if the farmers don’t meet those prices the big three buy beef from the USA or Australia.
And that boys and girls is why beef prices are ridiculously high.
We don’t want another cheque for $20. We NEED accountability, price fixing is considered collusion which is illegal and subject to jail time for the corporate officials involved. I want to see at least one person go to jail over this.
Why wouldn’t all merchants do this now? There’s no accountability and you’ll make billions more by charging more and then just have to pay out a few million in a settlement. As usual, there’s no accountability.
Where do you go online to register as a claimant for the lawsuit?
Poorly written. Basic Journalism answers the Q’s- who- what- where-why
Never answered where to file a claim
Scandles scandles scandles can we investigate SNC case and the green slush fund too please thnx
So, after the greasy lawyers get paid, you’ll get a check for 21 cents!
Why is the cattle inventory low, and,why for so many years?
Something about carbon taxes and the supreme idiocy of Liberal ideology?
You can get 25 cents!
Didn’t have receipts for the bread rebate. How to apply for beef rebate?
How do you opt into the class action?
Who keeps their grocery receipts for 11 years? Ours generally go straight in the trash.