Everett McKinley Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago. Courtesy photoFrozen-Potato Producers Face Profiteering Allegations in Surge of Antitrust Class Actions
North American food companies colluded since 2021 and saw "unprecedented" profits in the frozen-potato market, according to multiple antitrust class actions filed in Chicago federal court.
December 05, 2024 at 07:11 PM
3 minute read
What You Need to Know
- A surge of antitrust class actions filed in Chicago federal court allege unlawful price-fixing in the U.S. market for frozen potato products.
- Frozen potato product prices increased 47% in a two-year period, according to the allegations.
- Defendants Lamb Weston and Cavendish Farms describe the allegations as baseless.
A surge of antitrust class actions in Chicago federal court accuse the largest producers of frozen- potato products of overcharging consumers, grocery outlets and restaurants for popular appetizers and profiting handsomely from anticompetitive conduct in violation of the Sherman Act.
At least 12 complaints filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois since Nov. 15 allege Lamb Weston, McCain Foods, J.R. Simplot Co. and Cavendish Farms have conspired to inflate the price of french fries, hash browns and tater tots sold in the $68 billion annual U.S. market for frozen potato products.
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