Canadians could be part of alleged meat price-fixing class action
Eligible Canadians could be part of a nationwide class-action lawsuit filed against several meatpacking companies in North America.
According to court documents, on Oct. 23, a B.C. judge certified part of a class-action lawsuit alleging that meatpacking companies conspired to sell beef to consumers at inflated prices. Plaintiff Jiang Bui brought the case forward against defendants Cargill, JBS, Tyson, and National Beef.
The allegations
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Bui, a Vancouver resident, claims that the defendants “conspired to fix prices and limit the beef supply, leading to higher prices for consumers.”
Cargill, JBS, Tyson, and National Beef are involved in purchasing, slaughtering and processing cattle into beef products for sale. The proposed class action alleges that the companies conspired with each other to fix, maintain, increase, or control the price of beef. In addition, it alleges that the defendants fixed, controlled, prevented, or reduced the production or supply of beef.
“The conspiracy was intended to, and did, affect the price and production or supply of beef sold in Canada, including British Columbia,” reads the document.
It’s also alleged that starting in 2015, in response to pressure on beef margins, senior executives and employees of the defendants exchanged information about current and future operations of their meatpacking plants to implement, monitor, and maintain agreed-upon prices of beef.
The document alleges that the companies knew that their “unlawful scheme and conspiracy would injure purchasers of Beef in Canada” and inflate prices paid by customers.
In response, the defendants say that there’s no evidence of a conspiracy to control the price or supply of beef in Canada and have denied any participation in the alleged conspiracy.
Are you eligible?
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According to the judge, there’s evidence indicating that around 90 per cent of Canadians eat beef and that there are around 30,000 meat or food service wholesalers, manufacturers, restaurants, grocery stores, and other food industry beef retailers in Canada.
“This is clearly a broad proposed class,” he observed.
The lawsuit argues that the defendants have been “unjustly enriched” by overcharging customers, who have suffered as a result of the overcharge. The proposed class members include buyers or entities in Canada who bought raw beef for resale or personal use since Jan. 1, 2015.
How much could you receive?
The amount in punitive or aggravated damages hasn’t been determined.
On March 24, 2022, a similar lawsuit was filed in Quebec for class members who purchased beef on or after Jan. 1, 2015.
In January 2025, another proposed class-action lawsuit was filed on behalf of anyone in Canada who purchased and overpaid for meat products from Loblaw, Walmart, or Sobeys because they allegedly misrepresented the weight of the items.
With files from Isabelle Docto