Food class action settlements covering beef, pork, chicken, tuna, turkey, salmon, dietary supplements, and processing-plant wages have put billions of dollars into claims funds, with several claim windows still open in 2026 and 2027. If you bought one of these products during the relevant years, or worked at a covered plant, you can usually file online through the official settlement website at no cost, and most consumer claims do not require receipts up to a capped quantity.
What you receive depends on the case, the state you bought in, and whether you have proof of purchase. The sections below walk through the settlements that are open or recently approved, who qualifies, and how to claim.
Beef Price-Fixing Settlement
In May 2026, U.S. District Judge John Tunheim approved an $87.5 million settlement in In re: Cattle and Beef Antitrust Litigation (Case No. 0:22-md-3031), with Cargill paying $32.5 million and Tyson Foods paying $55 million.1Capital Press. Judge Approves $87.5 Million Beef Antitrust Settlement Consumers in 28 states and the District of Columbia who bought fresh or frozen beef between 2014 and 2019 were eligible, and the claim deadline was June 30, 2026, filed through OverchargedForBeef.com.2ClassAction.org. $87.5M Beef Settlement Ends Antitrust Litigation Over Alleged Price-Fixing by Cargill, Tyson
Premium, specialty, and processed beef products such as organic, grass-fed, and ground beef were excluded from the class.2ClassAction.org. $87.5M Beef Settlement Ends Antitrust Litigation Over Alleged Price-Fixing by Cargill, Tyson The litigation continues against JBS USA, Swift Beef, JBS Packerland, and National Beef Packing, so additional settlements are possible. Both Cargill and Tyson agreed to help the plaintiffs pursue the remaining defendants.3OverchargedForBeef.com. Frequently Asked Questions
Pork Price-Fixing Settlements
In re Pork Antitrust Litigation (Case No. 0:18-cv-01776) has produced settlements across three plaintiff tracks: consumers who bought pork at retail, commercial and institutional indirect buyers, and direct purchasers.
For consumer indirect purchasers, settlements total $207.965 million. Smithfield ($75 million) and JBS ($20 million) have received final approval. Tyson ($85 million), Clemens ($13.5 million), Seaboard ($10 million), and Hormel ($4.465 million) are at various stages of approval.4Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP. Pork Antitrust
For direct purchasers of fresh or frozen pork, new settlements with Tyson ($50 million), Clemens ($10 million), and Triumph ($4 million) are awaiting final approval. The class covers loins, shoulders, ribs, bellies, bacon, and hams bought in the U.S. between June 2014 and June 2018. Organic, “no antibiotics ever,” and most processed items other than bacon are excluded. A second distribution from earlier JBS and Smithfield settlements was approved, with payments expected in mid-summer 2026.5Pork Antitrust Litigation (Direct Purchasers). Settlement Information
In the commercial and institutional track, Tyson agreed to pay $48 million for entities that indirectly bought raw or uncooked pork for commercial food preparation during the same window. The deadline to object or appear at the fairness hearing was July 14, 2026, and a hearing date had not yet been set as of that filing. Earlier settlements in this track came from JBS (2021), Smithfield (2022), Seaboard and Hormel (2024), and Clemens (2025).6Pork Commercial Case. Settlement Information
Broiler Chicken Settlements
Consumers who bought fresh or frozen whole chicken, chicken breasts, or tenderloins between January 2012 and July 2019 are covered by $203.35 million in approved settlements in In re: Broiler Chicken Antitrust Litigation (Case No. 16-cv-08637, N.D. Ill.).7OverchargedForChicken.com. Frequently Asked Questions The first wave of $181 million, with Tyson, Pilgrim’s Pride, Fieldale Farms, Peco, George’s, and Mar-Jac, received final approval in December 2021. A second round of $22.35 million with ten more defendants, including Perdue, Sanderson, Foster Farms, and Koch Foods, was approved in June 2025.8Cohen Milstein. In re Broiler Chicken Antitrust Litigation
Direct purchasers reached roughly $188.9 million in combined settlements.9Penn State Aglaw. Order in In re Broiler Chicken, June 2023 The last defendant, data firm Agri Stats, settled on conduct terms only, with no money paid; preliminary approval came on April 14, 2026, and a fairness hearing was set for September 1, 2026.8Cohen Milstein. In re Broiler Chicken Antitrust Litigation
Canned Tuna Settlement
The end-purchaser class in In re: Packaged Seafood Products Antitrust Litigation (Case No. 15-MD-2670) created a $152.2 million fund. StarKist paid $130 million, Chicken of the Sea paid $16.2 million, and the Lion Capital companies paid $6 million. Bumble Bee was dismissed after filing for bankruptcy in November 2019.10ClassAction.org. Tuna End Purchaser Settlement
The court approved the StarKist and Lion settlements in November 2024, and payments for approved claims were expected in the second quarter of 2026.11Tuna End Purchaser Settlement. Settlement Information The estimated payout works out to roughly $0.12 per can, or about $24.50 per 200 cans bought during the class period of June 2011 through July 2015.10ClassAction.org. Tuna End Purchaser Settlement
Turkey Settlements
In re Turkey Antitrust Litigation (No. 1:19-cv-08318, N.D. Ill.) targets Butterball, Hormel, Perdue, Cargill, and others for alleged collusion between 2010 and 2016. In January 2025, Judge Sunil Harjani certified classes of direct and indirect commercial purchasers. Cargill agreed to a $32.5 million direct purchaser settlement in early 2025, following Tyson’s $4.62 million settlement in 2021.12Reuters. Judge Green-Lights Class Actions Over US Turkey Prices
On the commercial indirect side, settlements with Cargill ($4 million), Cooper Farms ($562,500), and Farbest Foods ($562,500) went through a fairness hearing in December 2025.13PR Newswire. Turkey Commercial Indirect Purchaser Settlement Notice The eligible period is January 1, 2010 through December 31, 2016, for fresh or frozen uncooked turkey breast, ground turkey, or whole-bird turkey bought in the U.S. for commercial food preparation.
Farmed Atlantic Salmon Settlement
Norwegian producers Mowi, Grieg Seafood, Cermaq, Lerøy, and SalMar settled U.S. price-fixing claims for farmed Atlantic salmon. The direct purchaser settlement of $85 million was finalized in September 2022, followed by a $33 million indirect purchaser settlement covering buyers in 32 states between April 2013 and October 2022.14Seafood Source. Norwegian Salmon Giants Reach USD 33 Million Settlement in Price-Fixing Lawsuit The defendants denied wrongdoing. A parallel Canadian case completed distribution by June 2025.15KM Law. Farmed Atlantic Salmon Price-Fixing Class Action
Joint Juice and Balance of Nature
Premier Nutrition Corporation agreed to pay approximately $90 million to resolve class actions alleging that its Joint Juice glucosamine beverages were falsely marketed with claims such as “Use Daily for Healthy, Flexible Joints.”16NutraIngredients. After 12 Years, Joint Juice Litigation Ends With $90M Settlements The settlement covers consumers in nine states: California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, and Pennsylvania. New York class members receive $50 per unit automatically; multi-state class members receive $10 or $25 per unit depending on the product. The multi-state settlement received final approval on May 5, 2026.17ClassAction.org. Combined $90M Joint Juice Settlements Resolve False Advertising Class Action Lawsuits
Balance of Nature finalized a settlement of up to $9.95 million in January 2026 for consumers who alleged the supplement company overstated health benefits.18ClassAction.org. Food Class Action News
Beef and Pork Plant Worker Wage Settlement
If you worked at a beef or pork processing plant in a non-managerial role, a separate case may apply to you. Brown v. JBS USA Food Co. (No. 1:22-cv-02946, D. Colo.) alleged that 22 defendants, including JBS, Tyson, Cargill, Smithfield, Hormel, National Beef, and Agri Stats, conspired to suppress wages.19Cohen Milstein. Announce $202.7 Million in Settlements for Beef and Pork Processing Plant Workers
Settlements total approximately $202.7 million, led by Tyson ($72.5 million) and JBS ($55 million).20Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP. Red Meat Processing Wage-Fixing Antitrust The class covers people who worked at any defendant’s U.S. beef or pork processing plant between January 2000 and February 2024, with a subclass for those employed from January 2014 onward.21ClassAction.org. $200.2M Settlement With Beef, Pork Processing Plants Ends Class Action Lawsuit Over Alleged Wage Suppression A final approval hearing is scheduled, and the claim window runs through early 2027.
How To File and What You’ll Actually Receive
Food class actions are generally opt-out, so if you fit the class definition you are already included unless you excluded yourself. Once a court approves a settlement, class members are notified by mail, email, or both, and can submit claims through the official settlement website or by mail. Some settlements require proof of purchase above a certain quantity; others allow claims without documentation up to a capped number of units.22ClassAction.org. How to Join a Class Action Lawsuit Participating is free. Attorneys’ fees come out of the settlement fund with court approval; in the beef case, for example, more than $38 million of the $87.5 million fund went to plaintiffs’ counsel.1Capital Press. Judge Approves $87.5 Million Beef Antitrust Settlement
Payouts for consumers in antitrust cases tend to be small per unit. The tuna settlement works out to about $0.12 per can. The Joint Juice settlement pays $10 to $50 per unit depending on the state and product. Across consumer class action settlements more broadly, a 2019 FTC retrospective study found that the median claims rate for cases requiring a form was 9%, and the weighted average based on people who received notice was 4%. Half of the settlements studied provided median compensation of $69 or more, and a quarter provided $200 or more. Of the people who received checks, 77% cashed them.23FTC. Consumers and Class Actions: A Retrospective Analysis of Settlement Campaigns
If a settlement notice reaches you by email, read it carefully. The FTC found that fewer than half of recipients correctly understood that notice emails referred to a class action or refund, and campaigns using plain terms like “refund,” “cash,” or “$” saw higher participation.23FTC. Consumers and Class Actions: A Retrospective Analysis of Settlement Campaigns
Cases That Are Not Yet Claimable
Several active food antitrust cases are in early pretrial stages, with no settlements or claims yet.
Shell eggs: In February 2026, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation centralized In re: Shell Eggs Antitrust Litigation (MDL No. 3175) in the Western District of Wisconsin before Chief Judge James D. Peterson. The suits allege that Cal-Maine Foods, Rose Acre Farms, Hillandale Farms, Versova Holdings, Daybreak Foods, and others conspired to inflate egg prices beginning no later than January 2022, exploiting avian flu outbreaks and manipulating benchmark prices from Urner Barry, which is also named as a defendant.24GovInfo. In re Shell Eggs Antitrust Litigation, Transfer Order
Frozen potatoes: In re Frozen Potato Products Antitrust Litigation, filed in the Northern District of Illinois in January 2025, targets Lamb Weston, McCain Foods, J.R. Simplot, and Cavendish Farms, which plaintiffs allege control 97% or more of a $68 billion annual market and coordinated price increases starting in 2021.25CCH. Foods Galore, Inc. v. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. — Complaint
Granulated sugar: In re Granulated Sugar Antitrust Litigation (MDL No. 3110, D. Minn.) alleges ASR Group (owner of Domino Sugar), United Sugar, and Cargill used an information broker to exchange non-public pricing and production data, contributing to a 70% retail price increase between 2019 and 2024.26Reuters. United Sugar, Domino Owner ASR Must Face Price-Fixing Case, US Judge Rules In October 2025, Judge Jerry Blackwell allowed claims against the two main producers and the broker to proceed and dismissed claims against Michigan Sugar and Louis Dreyfus.27U.S. District Court, D. Minn. Granulated Sugar Antitrust Litigation All defendants deny wrongdoing.
Food Poisoning Claims Are Different
If you got sick from a contaminated food product, the class action framework above generally does not apply. Food poisoning cases are usually brought as individual personal injury claims and resolved through confidential settlements rather than public class funds. According to Marler Clark, which specializes in these cases, individual resolutions range from a few thousand dollars to $30 million depending on severity, pathogen, the victim’s vulnerability, and the defendant’s conduct.28Marler Clark. What Is the Average Food Poisoning Settlement Amount A USDA analysis of 175 foodborne illness jury verdicts found plaintiffs won less than a third of trials, with a median award of $25,560 among the 55 who prevailed.29USDA Economic Research Service. Juries Award Higher Amounts for Severe Foodborne Illnesses A claim like that is handled by hiring a plaintiff’s attorney rather than filing on a settlement website.