Several food price-fixing settlements are active in mid-2026, and one is still accepting claims from ordinary shoppers: the beef consumer settlement with Tyson and Cargill, which pays up to $200 per household with no receipts required and closes on June 30, 2026. The rest of the major cases, covering pork, broiler chicken, turkey, and canned tuna, have already closed their claim windows and are either paying out now or waiting on court approval and appeals. Two additional beef tracks and a pork commercial track have preliminary settlements but are not yet accepting claims.
Beef: One Window Still Open to Consumers
The consumer indirect track of In re Cattle and Beef Antitrust Litigation is the settlement most readers can still act on. Tyson Foods and Cargill have agreed to pay a combined $87.5 million ($55 million from Tyson, $32.5 million from Cargill) to people who bought fresh or frozen beef cuts (chuck, loin, rib, or round) for personal use between August 1, 2014, and December 31, 2019, in 27 eligible states and the District of Columbia.1OverchargedForBeef.com. Consumer Indirect Beef Litigation FAQ
The claim deadline is June 30, 2026. No proof of purchase is required, and payouts run up to $200 per household. A fairness hearing is set for May 26, 2026. Litigation continues against JBS and National Beef, which have not settled.1OverchargedForBeef.com. Consumer Indirect Beef Litigation FAQ
Two other beef tracks exist but are not accepting claims yet. On the commercial side, restaurants and food-service buyers are covered by a $47 million preliminary settlement with Tyson spanning purchases from January 1, 2015, through May 6, 2026. Class members will be notified when a claim form goes live, and the deadline to opt out or object is August 10, 2026.2BeefCommercialCase.com. Beef Commercial Case Settlement Notice On the direct purchaser side, Tyson’s separate $82.5 million settlement received preliminary approval on May 14, 2026.3Meatingplace. Tyson Beef Antitrust Settlement Gets Preliminary Approval
Pork: Distribution Underway, New Claims Closed
In re Pork Antitrust Litigation has produced roughly $208 million in cumulative settlements from major processors accused of conspiring to fix prices on raw and uncooked pork.4Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP. Pork Antitrust Litigation For direct purchasers, the settled amounts are:
- Smithfield: $75 million (final approval granted)
- Tyson: $50 million (plus up to $2 million for administration)
- JBS: $20 million (final approval granted)
- Clemens: $10 million
- Hormel: $4.465 million
- Triumph Foods: $4 million
The first round of payments from the JBS and Smithfield settlements went out in October 2023. A second distribution is scheduled to begin in mid-summer 2026, and claimants who received the first payment are automatically eligible for the next one. The window to file new claims against Tyson, Clemens, and Triumph closed on June 11, 2025.5PorkAntitrustLitigation.com. Pork Antitrust Litigation Direct Purchaser Settlement
A separate $48 million settlement with Tyson for commercial and institutional indirect purchasers is awaiting approval. No claim forms are available yet, and the deadline to object or opt out is July 14, 2026.6PorkCommercialCase.com. Pork Commercial Case Settlement Notice
Broiler Chicken: Payments Started in June 2026
The end-user consumer settlement in In re Broiler Chicken Antitrust Litigation totals $203.35 million and closed to new claims on July 31, 2025. Settlement administrator A.B. Data processed more than 10 million claims, and payments to approved claimants began on June 5, 2026, after the audit and deficiency period wrapped up in May. Claims above $300 per month that lacked documentation were capped at a presumed $300 monthly purchase amount.7Top Class Actions. Broiler Chicken Price-Fixing Litigation Settlement
The recovery came in two waves. The first, $181 million from Tyson, Pilgrim’s Pride, Fieldale Farms, Peco, George’s, and Mar-Jac, received final approval in December 2021. A second round adding $22.35 million from Claxton, Foster Farms, Koch Foods, Perdue, Sanderson, and others received final approval on June 30, 2025.8Cohen Milstein. In Re Broiler Chicken Antitrust Litigation
Turkey: Closed, and Payouts on Hold
In re Turkey Antitrust Litigation has secured $40.495 million in preliminary-approved settlements: $32.5 million from Cargill, $4.62 million from Tyson, and $1.68 million each from Cooper Farms and Farbest Foods. The class period covers purchases between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2016.9TurkeyLitigation.com. Declaration in Support of Preliminary Approval
The Cargill settlement received final approval in July 2025 but is under appeal, which has delayed distribution of both the Cargill and Tyson funds. Cooper Farms and Farbest proceeds have not been distributed either. Trial against the remaining defendants, including Butterball, Hormel, Perdue, and Foster Farms, is scheduled for October 2026.10Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP. Turkey Antitrust Litigation
Canned Tuna: Payments Expected in Q2 2026
The packaged tuna case alleged that StarKist, Bumble Bee (through former owner Lion Capital), and Chicken of the Sea conspired to fix prices on canned and pouched tuna between June 2011 and July 2015. Combined civil settlements total roughly $217 million. End-payer consumers are covered by $136 million from StarKist and Lion Capital and an earlier $16.2 million from Chicken of the Sea and parent Thai Union. Direct purchasers received $58.75 million from StarKist (partly in product) and $6 million from Lion Capital. Judge Dana Sabraw granted final approval for the StarKist and Lion settlements on November 22, 2024.11Seafood Source. StarKist, Bumble Bee Price-Fixing Settlements
The consumer claim deadline passed on December 31, 2024. Payments on approved claims are expected during the second quarter of 2026.12TunaEndPurchaserSettlement.com. Tuna End Purchaser Settlement
How Filing Works and What Payouts Look Like
These are opt-out class actions, which means anyone who bought the affected product during the class period is automatically included. When a settlement is approved, class members receive notice and can file a claim through the case’s official settlement website.
Some settlements accept claims without proof of purchase. In those cases, claimants sign a declaration under penalty of perjury attesting that they bought the product during the eligible window. Undocumented claims pay less than documented ones. As a rough benchmark in food-related settlements, claims without proof tend to pay $5 to $15, while documented claims can reach $20 to $50 or more depending on purchase volume. The beef consumer settlement is more generous, offering up to $200 per household with no proof required.1OverchargedForBeef.com. Consumer Indirect Beef Litigation FAQ
Filing early helps. Settlement funds are finite, and if approved claims exceed the available money, individual payouts can be reduced proportionally. Attorney fees come out of the settlement fund and require court approval, so class members do not pay legal costs directly.
Quick Reference: Where Each Case Stands
- Beef, consumer indirect: $87.5 million from Tyson and Cargill. Claim deadline June 30, 2026. Up to $200 per household, no proof required.
- Beef, commercial: $47 million from Tyson. No claims open yet. Opt-out deadline August 10, 2026.
- Beef, direct purchaser: $82.5 million from Tyson. Preliminary approval May 14, 2026.
- Pork, direct purchaser: roughly $164 million across six processors. Second distribution expected mid-summer 2026. New claims closed June 11, 2025.
- Pork, commercial: $48 million from Tyson. No claims open yet. Objection deadline July 14, 2026.
- Broiler chicken, consumer: $203.35 million. Claims closed July 31, 2025. Payments began June 5, 2026.
- Turkey, direct purchaser: $40.495 million from four processors. Claims closed. Distribution delayed by appeal. Trial against remaining defendants October 2026.
- Canned tuna, end-payer consumer: roughly $152 million. Claims closed December 31, 2024. Payments expected Q2 2026.