this post was submitted on 08 Oct 2024
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McDonald’s has some beef with today’s largest meat packers.

The fast food giant is suing the U.S. meat industry’s “Big Four” — Tyson, JBS, Cargill and National Beef Packing Company — and their subsidiaries, alleging a price fixing scheme for beef specifically. In a federal complaint, filed Friday in New York, McDonald’s accused the companies of anticompetitive measures such as collectively limiting supply to boost prices and charge “illegally inflated” amounts.

This collusion caused the beef market to become “a monopoly in which direct purchasers were forced to buy at prices dictated by (the meat packers),” McDonald’s suit reads — later noting that the injury it has sustained as one of those buyers is what “antitrust laws were designed to prevent.”

McDonald’s alleges that the meat packers’ conspiracy dates back nearly a decade, at least as early as January 2015, and continues today. Its suit argues these companies’ actions violate the Sherman Act, a federal antitrust law.

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[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 19 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Said one quasi monopolist to the other...

[–] Ledivin@lemmy.world 10 points 2 days ago (1 children)

What? How on earth is mcdonalds a monopoly in any way?

[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago

Maybe not a real monopoly, but a sufficiently big player that usually has no problems of using their buying power to squeeze the blood out of their suppliers.

[–] OpenPassageways@lemmy.zip 7 points 2 days ago

I'd be OK with giant corporations as if they were actually competing with each other for consumers and labor, paying their fair share of taxes, and weren't allowed to use their revenue to subvert the will of the people by buying politicians.

The problem is that it takes a strong FTC, IRS, NLRB, FEC to ensure the above things, and we know how Republicans and billionaires feel about that.

[–] celsiustimeline@lemmy.dbzer0.com 33 points 2 days ago (5 children)

Hey everyone. This week, I challenge everyone to eat half as much beef as you normally would. If you eat 2 burgers a week, try just eating 1 and replace the other burger with a piece of chicken, or better yet, it's autumn, and a ton of veggies are still fresh in season from the harvest.

McDonalds can sue the beef packers, but we can cripple their entire supply chain and maybe help the planet out a little bit.

[–] ByteOnBikes@slrpnk.net 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

A few years ago, I was hit hard with some food poisoning that had me in the hospital. I don't remember what it was, but it made me tune into food recall reports.

And those recall reports are FREQUENT, and they're mostly meat.

I'm not a vegetarian, but I cut beef out of my diet last year. Pork is my next one. Chicken is going to be really hard though.

[–] nokturne213@sopuli.xyz 2 points 2 days ago

For years I never thought I could do vegetarian because I would miss bacon and chicken. Over a decade later and both of those things are so far down in my list of things I miss.

[–] Desistance@lemmy.world 9 points 2 days ago

You had money for beef? Prices are sky high. My chicken, pork and fish intake dramatically increased?

[–] skuzz@discuss.tchncs.de 6 points 2 days ago

I have beef maybe once or twice a month. Doing my part.

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[–] Mongostein@lemmy.ca 19 points 2 days ago (1 children)

They fucked with McDonalds. Big mistake.

[–] MadBigote@lemmy.world 30 points 2 days ago (3 children)
[–] ZeffSyde@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago

Only available for a Limited Time!

[–] Skanky@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago
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[–] CountVon@sh.itjust.works 150 points 3 days ago (2 children)
[–] lost_faith@lemmy.ca 9 points 2 days ago

Your greed is interfering with my greed, damn you!

[–] PunnyName@lemmy.world 26 points 3 days ago

Exactly my thoughts

[–] ChickenLadyLovesLife@lemmy.world 22 points 2 days ago (1 children)

"This is an absurd accusation. We make money by employing children and undocumented immigrants and violating safety standards, not by colluding on prices." -US meat industry

[–] eodur@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

not sure why, but i read this in J K Simmons' voice.

[–] jaybone@lemmy.world 38 points 3 days ago (2 children)

If it’s beef, they why have their chicken nuggets also doubled in price in the last couple of years? Oh, this goes back almost a decade you say? So why did you double or triple prices post pandemic?

[–] bitwaba@lemmy.world 15 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Dude it's literally right there at the beginning of the post

The fast food giant is suing the U.S. meat industry’s “Big Four” — Tyson, JBS, Cargill and National Beef Packing Company

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 21 points 3 days ago (8 children)

You can't honestly think McDonald's trying to blame their massive price increases solely on their meat providers is valid.

[–] Clasm@ttrpg.network 12 points 2 days ago (1 children)

It might be valid, but there's no way McD's was harmed. Their customers sure got that price fixing damage passed onto them, though.

[–] GhostFaceSkrilla@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

It's just over 11$ for 2 large fries. McD should also get sued. I feel like they're just trying pass 100% of the blame on to their suppliers, after they've continued to post record profits year over year. They not only weren't harmed, they've thrived and have been making even more money by price gouging. McD is as much, if not more culpable for inflating prices, than the meat packers.

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[–] magnetosphere@fedia.io 108 points 3 days ago

McDonald’s has some beef with today’s largest meat packers.

I would have been disappointed if there wasn’t a line like this in the story somewhere. It practically writes itself.

[–] TrueStoryBob@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Tell your boyfriend, if he says he's got beef, that I'm a vegetarian and I ain't fucking scared of him.

[–] TheFriar@lemm.ee 82 points 3 days ago (2 children)

“Company sues for what company does to customers because those profits are theirs

[–] Bishma@discuss.tchncs.de 44 points 3 days ago

"I was talking to my colluding friends and they said you were doing a collusion on us. What the hell? We're not the poors."

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[–] ThePowerOfGeek@lemmy.world 85 points 3 days ago (8 children)

We'll isn't that the pot calling the kettle black. The restaurant chain famous for jacking prices up while shrinking portion sizes and generally screwing their customers in every way they can doesn't like it when they are getting taken advantage of. Cry me a fucking river. Fuck you McDogsBreath!

[–] octopus_ink@lemmy.ml 5 points 2 days ago

Yeah, I dunno how I missed this article. Makes me laugh that McD's is going to try something like this.

https://www.newsweek.com/mcdonalds-inflation-economy-price-increase-joe-biden-1905209

TheStreet reported that Medium French Fries went from $1.79 in 2019 to $4.19 in 2024, a 134.1 percent increase. A McChicken went from $1.29 to $3.89, a 201.6 percent hike.

The price of the beloved Big Mac increased 87.7 percent, from $3.99 to $7.49. An order of 10 McNuggets rose by 68.8 percent, from $4.49 to $7.58. Of the five popular products examined, cheeseburgers saw the largest price increase—going from $1 to $3.15, a 215 percent spike.

These increases exceed the general average for inflation calculated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which shows that prices went up by about 21.5 percent between the end of 2019 and March 2024.

[–] PunnyName@lemmy.world 46 points 3 days ago

Don't forget about screwing their workers.

[–] magnetosphere@fedia.io 24 points 3 days ago

I will be thoroughly stunned if the huge settlement they may get actually results in lower prices for customers.

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[–] Zorsith@lemmy.blahaj.zone 53 points 3 days ago (3 children)

Beef, the meat kept artificially cheap in the US by subsidies?

[–] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 81 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

Well it's a lot like all the ISPs taking fucktons of money over 25 years to "roll out fiber" and then just basically pocketing the money.

Corporations are the real welfare queens.

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[–] Track_Shovel@slrpnk.net 43 points 3 days ago

Capitalist system

Big four fixing prices

ShockedPikachu.png

The system is working exactly as it's designed to. I've said it before and I will say it again: captialism only encourages monopolies/cartels - that's the whole point.

[–] jagged_circle@feddit.nl 22 points 3 days ago (9 children)

Can we sue McDonald for all that they did to artificially decrease the cost of beef, and the immense harm that was done to the climate as a result?

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[–] stupidcasey@lemmy.world 19 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Thank god we have Good guy McDonald’s going after the evil natural beef guys….wait

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