DOJ Investigates Possible Food Price Collusion
Today’s Wall Street Journal (h/t Danny Sokol) reports that:
Federal prosecutors have opened separate criminal probes into possible price-fixing by major egg producers and California tomato processors, the latest in a series of U.S. investigations of alleged collusion in food and agriculture.The investigations, which have not been previously reported, add to concerns that beyond the rising cost of fuel and feed, a hidden factor may be driving food prices higher: collusion among farmers, food processors or exporters.
A Justice Department official confirmed that it had opened investigations into tomatoes and eggs. Federal agencies already are pursuing criminal or civil inquiries in markets including fertilizer, cheese and milk, examining whether suppliers worked in league to manipulate prices. The Justice Department said it had also opened a probe last year into the citrus-fruit industry.
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Under U.S. law, it’s a crime for competitors to collaborate on production or prices. However, many farm groups and cooperatives are allowed to work together under antitrust exemptions such as the 1922 Capper-Volstead Act. The act, one of a web of loopholes carved out over the years, was originally meant to help small farms bargain with big processors. Egg and tomato producers say their cooperation is shielded by these exemptions. In stepping up enforcement in food, prosecutors are signaling a new willingness to test these exemptions’ limits.
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