StarKist Settles Antitrust Lawsuit with Kroger, 32 Other Grocers

Seafood supplier StarKist has settled antitrust lawsuits with 33 retailers, including Kroger, that were represented in several consolidated complaints. 

StarKist settled earlier with other plaintiffs including Target, Walmart and Sam's Club. This is latest in the class action lawsuit filed by grocers against the “Big 3” tuna companies. 

Last year, StarKist agreed to plead guilty to conspiring to fix prices of packaged seafood. Chicken of the Sea came to its own settlement in the case earlier this year. Bumble Bee pleaded guilty to price fixing in 2017 and agreed to pay a $25 million fine.

The price fixing scheme hit the tuna companies directly. Bumble Bee CEO Christoper Lischewski stepped down from his role as a result and Starkists' SVP of Sales Stephen Hodges also was directly named in the lawsuit. 

“StarKist is committed to being a socially responsible company and we are pleased to resolve this lawsuit with our customers under fair and reasonable terms,” said Andrew Choe, president and CEO, StarKist Co. “We will continue to conduct our business with the utmost transparency and integrity, and we hope to resolve the remaining lawsuits with our other customers under similarly fair and mutually beneficial terms.”