Bob Evans Farms, Fresh Market and Wawa are accusing the largest broiler companies in the United States of inflating the price of chicken.
The companies filed separate lawsuits in the U.S. District Court of Northern Illinois, according to a report from Bloomberg.
The plaintiff companies allege that the poultry companies – including Tyson Foods, Pilgrim’s Pride, Sanderson Farms, Perdue Farms, Koch Foods and Wayne Farms – cut production from as early as 2008 and until at least late 2017 to inflate the price of chicken.
The suit, filed on September 4, follows other lawsuits alleging top poultry companies conspired to raise the price of chicken. In July, Boston Market Corp, The Johnny Rockets Group, Barbeque Integrated Inc. and FIC Restaurants alleged in four lawsuits that Tyson Foods, Pilgrim's Pride, Perdue Farms, Koch Foods, Sanderson Farms, JCG Foods, Raeford Farms, Mar-Jac Poultry, Wayne Farms, Fieldale Farms, George's Farms, Simmons Foods, O.K. Foods, Peco Foods, Harrison Poultry, Foster Farms, Claxton Poultry, Mountaire Farms, Amick Farms, Case Farms and Agri Stats conspired to raise prices.
The suits on behalf of Bob Evans, Fresh Market and Wawa were filed as four poultry company executives await a February trial after being indicted on federal antitrust charges related to similar allegations. Those four are Pilgrim’s Pride Global CEO Jayson Penn, former Pilgrim’s Pride Vice President Roger Austin, Claxton Poultry President Mikell Fries and Claxton Poultry Vice President Scott Brady.
Bob Evans Farms is a leading producer and distributor of refrigerated potato, pasta and vegetable-based side dishes, pork sausage, and a variety of refrigerated and frozen convenience food items under the Bob Evans, Owens, Country Creek and Pineland Farms brands. It was acquired nearly three years ago by Post Holdings, which is also the parent company of egg products company Michael Foods.
Fresh Market is a supermarket chain with about 160 locations in the United States.
Wawa is a chain of convenience stores and gas stations, with operations in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida and Washington, D.C.
