Pilgrim's Pride controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
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2021
Antitrust criminal penalty
Pilgrim's Pride agreed to pay a $107 million criminal fine in connection with bid-rigging and price-fixing charges.
2020
Poultry antitrust indictment
Former CEO Jayson Penn was indicted in a case involving alleged price fixing and bid rigging in the poultry industry. He went on leave, and Fabio Sandri became CEO.
2020
Workers walk out at Pilgrim's Pride over COVID-19 safety concerns
Public backlash
Workers walked out of Pilgrim's Pride's Cold Spring facility in protest of how the facility was handling worker safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pilgrim's Pride said it had taken extensive preventive measures and that the brief disruption did not affect operations.
Company response
Clarification — Pilgrim's Pride
We listened to their concerns and explained the extensive measures the company has taken to prevent the spread of coronavirus among our workforce
Source excerpt
The request follows an employee walkout Monday around 10 p.m. in protest of how the poultry processing facility is handling worker safety during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We listened to their concerns and explained the extensive measures the company has taken to prevent the spread of coronavirus among our workforce
2020
Boston Market files broiler price-fixing lawsuit
Lawsuit filed
Boston Market filed a federal lawsuit against poultry companies, alleging that they conspired to manipulate broiler prices from 2008 to 2017 and that this caused it hundreds of millions of dollars in overcharges. The allegations are presented as claims in the lawsuit, not as a court determination.
Source excerpt
The new lawsuit alleges the conspiracy included plaintiffs 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 Inc.
OMAHA (DTN) -- Boston Market Corp. has filed a federal lawsuit against a group of poultry companies, alleging the companies conspired to manipulate the price of broilers from 2008 to 2017, costing Boston Market Corp. hundreds of millions of dollars in overcharges.
2020
Chick-fil-A sues poultry suppliers over alleged price-fixing
Lawsuit filed
In a federal court lawsuit, Chick-fil-A sued poultry suppliers, alleging that they coordinated meat-supply pricing and reduced production in order to raise prices. The filing places Pilgrim's Pride among the poultry suppliers named in the litigation. The allegations are claims asserted in the lawsuit and do not constitute a determination of wrongdoing. The suit concerns alleged coordination of pricing and production cuts in the meat-supply market.
Chick-fil-A sued poultry suppliers in federal court, alleging they coordinated meat-supply pricing and reduced production to raise prices. The allegations are claims in the lawsuit, not a determination of wrongdoing.
Source excerpt
The chicken-sandwich giant alleged in a lawsuit filed Friday in a federal court in Illinois that top chicken suppliers, including Tyson Foods Inc., Pilgrim’s Pride Corp., Sanderson Farms Inc. and Perdue Farms Inc., coordinated pricing for meat supplies and collectively reduced production to push up prices.
The fast-food chain Chick-fil-A is suing a string of high-profile chicken suppliers, accusing them of illegally coordinating with one another to keep prices artificially high on billions of dollars of poultry.
The suit accuses chicken producers of using a spreadsheet called AgriStats to engage in bid-rigging in an “unlawful conspiracy” to ensure that chicken prices were artificially raised.
2020
Pilgrim’s Pride agrees to $110.5 million price-fixing settlement
Settlement
JBS-controlled Pilgrim’s Pride said it would pay $110.5 million to settle federal charges that it helped fix chicken prices and passed higher costs on to consumers.
Source excerpt
Separately, the JBS-controlled Pilgrim’s Pride, one of the largest poultry producers in the U.S., said Wednesday it would pay $110.5 million to settle federal charges that it helped fix prices for chickens and then passed on higher costs to consumers.
Pilgrim’s is committed to fair and honest competition in compliance with U.S. antitrust laws,” said Fabio Sandri, Pilgrim’s CEO. “We are encouraged that today’s agreement concludes the Antitrust Division’s investigation into Pilgrim’s
In a related agreement, JBS said it would pay the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission $26.8 million for accounting irregularities at its U.S. subsidiary Pilgrim's Pride.
2004
Animal-welfare allegations at West Virginia plant
PETA-released footage showed workers abusing live chickens. The company dismissed 11 employees, including managers, and expanded animal-welfare training.
2002
Listeria poultry recall
Pilgrim's Pride recalled approximately 27.4 million pounds of sliced deli poultry after Listeria monocytogenes was found at a facility. The associated outbreak was linked to seven deaths, dozens of illnesses, and miscarriages.