Federal investigators widen scrutiny of grocery chains over high beef costs

The Department of Justice is now examining pricing practices at eight major grocery retailers, including Walmart, Amazon, and Costco, as part of a broader effort to address beef affordability. This follows an earlier antitrust investigation into meatpackers and comes amid record-high ground beef prices driven by drought, livestock disease, and import tariffs. The administration is prioritizing this issue because consumer inflation remains a critical factor for voters in the upcoming midterm elections.