Canadians who bought beef could be eligible for share of $8M in price-fixing class-action

The amount individual Canadians can expect has not yet been determined, as the settlement still needs to be approved by the courts. Photo by Postmedia Files

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Canadians who have bought beef products from the grocery store since 2015 may be eligible for part of a proposed class-action settlement worth nearly $8 million.

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The lawsuit alleges that the companies involved “participated in an unlawful conspiracy to fix, maintain, control, or lessen the production or supply of beef and fix, raise, maintain, or stabilize the price of beef sold to purchasers in Canada, starting at least as early as Jan. 1, 2015.”

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Price-fixing occurs when two or more competing businesses agree to set the same prices for goods or services. It means consumers may have faced unnecessarily high prices for beef products.

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The class action asks the courts to order the defendants to return any additional money they have received as a result of this alleged conspiracy.

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JBS, which is considered the largest meat processing company in the world, has agreed to the settlement, along with the National Beef Packing Company, LLC, aka “National Beef.”

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JBS, which includes JBS USA Company, Swift Beef Company, JBS Packerland Inc. and JBS Canada ULC, has agreed to pay $7,498,700 to class members, while National Beef has agreed to pay $495,000. This means nearly $8 million could be distributed among eligible class members.

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Two other companies, Cargill and Tyson, are also mentioned. They are not part of the agreement, as class actions against them are ongoing.

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The class action notes that agreement to the settlement does not constitute an admission of wrongdoing.

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The proposed settlement, which was announced on Thursday, defines class members as eligible customers who purchased beef products for personal use or resale in Canada on or after Jan. 1, 2015. It excludes products purchased by the food service industry, such as restaurants.

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There are two groups of class members. The largest group comprises members of the B.C. settlement class, which includes all Canadians except those represented in the second group, the Quebec Settlement Class, which is made up of consumers who bought beef in Quebec during the same period.

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The amount individual Canadians can expect has not yet been determined, as the settlement still needs to be approved by the courts.

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An approval hearing for all Canadians except those in Quebec will take place on Sept. 10, 2026, while the Quebec approval hearing is scheduled for Dec. 1 this year.

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The courts will decide whether the settlements are fair, reasonable, and in the best interests of class members. If approved, details on when and how eligible Canadians will receive payments will be made public.

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The class action was brought forward by CFM Lawyers LLP and Strosberg Wingfield Sasso LLP, and by Belleau Lapointe LLP in Quebec.

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Canadians who want to opt out of the settlement must do so by Aug. 10, 2026. More details can be found on the class action website.

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Loblaw and George Weston Ltd. agreed to pay $500 million to settle the class action lawsuit.

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