In its latest settlement of lawsuits over the price of pork, Smithfield Foods has agreed to pay $75 million to consumer plaintiffs in an antitrust case.
The money will settle a class-action federal lawsuit brought on behalf of consumers who bought Smithfield pork products between 2009 and April 2021. The suit alleged that during that time, Smithfield conspired to limit the national pork supply by exchanging information with competitors via an agricultural news service.
Smithfield agreed to make the payments in a filing in U.S. District Court in Minnesota Sept. 27, while admitting no wrongdoing. Smithfield has previously settled a similar lawsuit for $42 million to foodservice purchaser plaintiffs.
