Several food-industry class action settlements are issuing payments or accepting claims in 2026, and the one most grocery shoppers can still file for is the $87.5 million beef price-fixing settlement with Tyson and Cargill, which stays open through June 30, 2026. Other food settlement payouts in 2026 include pork antitrust distributions beginning mid-summer, canned tuna payments arriving in the second quarter, pet food claims from the Mid America Salmonella recall, and restitution checks going to New York City fast-food workers. Here is what’s actually payable, who qualifies, and the deadlines that still matter.
Beef Price-Fixing Settlement for Consumers
Tyson Foods and Cargill agreed to pay a combined $87.5 million, with $55 million from Tyson and $32.5 million from Cargill, to resolve claims they conspired to inflate beef prices.1OverchargedForBeef.com. Consumer Indirect Beef Litigation Settlement You may be eligible if you bought fresh or frozen beef made from chuck, loin, rib, or round primal cuts for personal consumption between August 1, 2014, and December 31, 2019, in one of 27 states or the District of Columbia.2ClassAction.org. $87.5M Beef Settlement Ends Antitrust Litigation Over Alleged Price-Fixing by Cargill, Tyson Premium, specialty, and processed beef (ground, marinated, breaded) do not count.
File online at OverchargedForBeef.com or by mailing a printed form. The deadline is June 30, 2026, and the claims administrator is Epiq.1OverchargedForBeef.com. Consumer Indirect Beef Litigation Settlement Each approved claimant receives a pro-rata cash payment proportional to their beef purchases during the class period. A fairness hearing is scheduled for May 26, 2026, and no payments will be issued until the judge grants final approval and any appeals are resolved.3OverchargedForBeef.com. Consumer Indirect Beef Litigation FAQ
Beef Settlement for Retailers and Distributors
Tyson reached a separate $82.5 million settlement with direct purchasers, including Central Grocers, R&D Marketing, and Redner’s Markets, who bought case-ready or boxed beef from the defendants between January 1, 2015, and February 10, 2022.4Feedstuffs. Tyson Settles With Retailers in Beef Antitrust Lawsuit A federal judge granted preliminary approval on May 14, 2026.5Meatingplace. Tyson Beef Antitrust Settlement Gets Preliminary Approval If your business qualifies, the claim deadline is November 30, 2026.6MCAG Inc. Food Industry Settlements
Pork Antitrust Payments Resuming in 2026
The pork price-fixing litigation runs on three tracks, and payments are moving on each.
Direct Purchasers
Settlements with Tyson ($50 million), Clemens ($10 million), and Triumph ($4 million) have received final approval. A second distribution of net settlement proceeds is scheduled to begin mid-summer 2026.7PorkAntitrustLitigation.com. Pork Antitrust Litigation Direct Purchaser Settlement If you already filed a claim and received a first-round payment, you are automatically eligible for the next distribution without refiling. A separate settlement with Hormel Foods is awaiting court approval.
Consumers
Settlements with JBS and Smithfield received final approval for people who bought raw pork (bacon, bellies, loins, shoulders, ribs, or chops) for personal consumption in designated states between June 28, 2014, and June 30, 2018.8OverchargedForPork.com. Pork Indirect Purchaser Antitrust Litigation Litigation continues against Clemens, Hormel, Seaboard, Triumph, Tyson, and Agri Stats, so additional claim windows may open later.
Commercial and Institutional Buyers
Hospitals, schools, caterers, and similar entities fall under this track. A $48 million Tyson settlement is pending court approval, with an objection deadline of July 14, 2026.9PorkCommercialCase.com. Pork Commercial and Institutional Indirect Purchaser Settlement Earlier settlements with JBS, Smithfield, Seaboard, Hormel, and Clemens were noticed between 2021 and 2025, bringing the cumulative total on this track to roughly $117.889 million.6MCAG Inc. Food Industry Settlements
Canned Tuna Payments Arriving Q2 2026
If you filed a claim in the canned tuna price-fixing case before the December 31, 2024 deadline, payments are expected during the second quarter of 2026.10TunaEndPurchaserSettlement.com. Tuna End Purchaser Settlement The $152.2 million consumer settlement resolved allegations that StarKist, Bumble Bee, and Chicken of the Sea fixed canned and pouched tuna prices between June 2011 and July 2015.11ClassAction.org. Tuna End Purchaser Settlement StarKist contributed $130 million, Chicken of the Sea paid $16.2 million, and the Lion Companies (former Bumble Bee owners) added $6 million. Final approval came November 22, 2024.12Courthouse News Service. Judge Grants $216 Million Settlement in Yearslong Canned Tuna Antitrust Suit New claims are no longer being accepted.
Mid America Pet Food Salmonella Settlement
Mid America Pet Food agreed to a $5.5 million settlement over Salmonella contamination in recalled Victor Super Premium, Wayne Feeds, Eagle Mountain, and Member’s Mark pet foods.13MidAmericaPetFoodSettlement.com. Mid America Pet Food Settlement The class period ran from October 31, 2022, to February 29, 2024.14Pet Food Industry. Mid America Pet Food Settles Salmonella Lawsuit for $5.5 Million The claim deadline was February 5, 2026, so new claims can no longer be filed.15Top Class Actions. $5.5M Mid America Class Action Settlement Covers Recalled Pet Food Brands
For claims already submitted, payouts depend on the category:
- Documented pet injury: up to $100,000 in approved documented losses.
- Undocumented pet injury: $50 per pet that became ill, $100 per pet that died.
- Food purchase with proof: 100 percent of the approved purchase price.
- Food purchase without proof: $20 per bag, up to two bags ($40 maximum).
Poultry Workers Wage-Suppression Settlement
Workers at poultry processing plants may be owed money from a $398.05 million settlement fund in Jien v. Perdue Farms.16PoultryWages.com. Poultry Wages Settlement Notice Anyone who worked at a defendant’s U.S. poultry processing plant, hatchery, or feed mill at any point between January 1, 2000, and July 20, 2021, may qualify. The formal deadline to submit a participation form has passed, but the administrator notes that late forms may be reviewed, without any guarantee of acceptance. The claims administrator is A.B. Data, Ltd., reachable at 1-877-311-3745.
NYC Fast-Food and Retail Worker Restitution
New York City announced in March 2026 that it secured over $1.8 million in restitution for more than 830 fast-food and retail workers through two Fair Workweek Law settlements.17NYC Mayor’s Office. Mamdani Administration Secures Nearly $2M in Restitution for 800+ Workers Workers do not need to file a complaint to receive payment.
- Salz Management LLC, a Dunkin’ and Taco Bell franchisee: over $1.5 million in restitution to more than 760 workers at 24 Manhattan and Queens locations, plus $155,000 in penalties. Payments begin August 2026.
- Theory LLC, a fashion retailer: over $277,000 to more than 60 workers at two Manhattan locations, plus $21,000 in penalties. Payments began in April 2026.
The violations included failure to provide schedules 14 days in advance, failure to get consent for schedule changes, and failure to pay required premiums for last-minute adjustments.18Fox 5 New York. NYC Secures $1.8M for 830 Fast Food, Retail Workers in Labor Law Settlements A separate enforcement petition is pending against QSR Management LLC, which operates 21 Staten Island Dunkin’ locations affecting roughly 1,000 workers. Each worker could be owed between $200 and $500 per violation, with multiple violations possible per week.19Documented NY. Mamdani Cites Dunkin’ Franchise Owner for Allegedly Violating Workers’ Rights
Chicken, Turkey, and Salmon: Status Check
Consumer claim windows have already closed in the major chicken and turkey antitrust cases, so no new filings are possible there. In the broiler chicken litigation, $203.35 million in court-approved recoveries went to the end-user consumer class, and distributions are pending an audit and a dispute over attorneys’ fees.20Cohen Milstein. In Re Broiler Chicken Antitrust Litigation If you filed by the July 31, 2025 deadline, your payment is on the way once that process clears. A final approval hearing on a non-monetary Agri Stats settlement is set for September 1, 2026.21OverchargedForChicken.com. Broiler Chicken Antitrust Settlement FAQ
The direct purchaser turkey settlements total roughly $40.5 million, with claim deadlines already passed.22Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP. In Re Turkey Antitrust Litigation A commercial turkey purchaser track has $5.125 million in approved settlements, though claim forms are not yet available.23TurkeyCommercialCase.com. Turkey Commercial Case Settlement
The $85 million farm-raised salmon settlement covered a class of roughly 800 direct purchasers (not individual consumers) over alleged manipulation of a Nasdaq benchmark tied to Atlantic salmon prices in Oslo.24Podhurst Orseck PA. Norwegian Fisheries Pay $85 Million to End Salmon Antitrust Case25Reuters. Salmon Purchasers Net $85 Million Settlement in U.S. Price-Fixing Case
Cases to Watch, Not File On
Three major food antitrust cases are moving through court but have produced no settlements yet, so there is nothing to claim right now.
In the shell eggs litigation, multidistrict cases have been consolidated against Cal-Maine Foods, Rose Acre Farms, Versova Holdings, Hillandale Farms, and Daybreak Foods, alleging producers inflated the Urner Barry benchmark price starting in January 2022 and used avian flu outbreaks as a pretext.26U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation. In Re Shell Eggs Antitrust Litigation Transfer Order
The frozen potato products case names McCain Foods, Lamb Weston, J.R. Simplot, Cavendish Farms, and data firm Circana, collectively holding roughly 98 percent of the market according to the complaint. The DOJ filed a statement of interest supporting plaintiffs’ theories in February 2026.27Cohen Milstein. In Re Frozen Potato Products Antitrust Litigation
In the granulated sugar case, Judge Jerry Blackwell allowed claims against ASR Group (owner of Domino Sugar) and United Sugar to proceed in October 2025, over allegations that producers used a clearinghouse to exchange pricing and production data while retail prices rose about 70 percent between 2019 and 2024.28Reuters. United Sugar, Domino Owner ASR Must Face Price-Fixing Case, US Judge Rules29U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota. Granulated Sugar Antitrust Litigation If any of these cases settle, claim notices will go out through the same kind of administrator-run websites used for the beef, pork, and tuna cases above.