The Department of Justice has expanded its antitrust investigation into the beef industry, demanding years of pricing and profit data from major retailers including Walmart, Amazon, and Costco. The move comes as consumers face near-record high prices for beef products, with ground beef averaging $7.116 per pound in July according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Retailers received letters in July requesting detailed information on their beef purchasing strategies, retail prices, costs, profit margins, and trends in wholesale and retail pricing over the past six years. The investigation is also seeking data from Kroger, Publix, Albertsons, Aldi, and Ahold Delhaize USA.

While these retailers have not been accused of wrongdoing, federal officials are examining whether pricing practices, market concentration, or other conduct by these companies could be contributing to the elevated cost of beef. The Justice Department initiated the broader inquiry into potential antitrust violations in the U.S. cattle and beef markets in May.

Previously, the investigation focused on the country's largest meatpackers: JBS, Cargill, Tyson Foods, and National Beef, which together control over 85 percent of U.S. beef processing. Investigators are now extending their scrutiny further down the supply chain to understand the dynamics between meatpackers and the point of sale.

In parallel, the U.S. cattle herd remains at historically low levels, with approximately 86.2 million cattle and calves at the start of the year, the lowest since the 1950s, according to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. This scarcity of supply adds further pressure to beef prices.

In an effort to address high prices, Attorney General Todd Blanche has encouraged whistleblowers to come forward, offering potential rewards of 15 to 30 percent of recovered money if their information leads to criminal penalties exceeding $1 million. The Justice Department has reviewed millions of documents and interviewed industry participants as part of its ongoing examination into how consolidation in the meatpacking industry may be impacting prices.

Previous administrations have also targeted high beef prices. The Trump administration, for instance, proposed measures to increase farmers' and ranchers' opportunities for meat processing and sought to boost foreign beef imports to lower prices, a plan that faced some resistance. The administration argued that increasing supply was essential to alleviate consumer costs.