The Justice Department just widened its net considerably, and eight of the country's largest grocery retailers are now caught inside it. The DOJ has expanded its antitrust investigation into beef prices to include major chains like Walmart and Costco, alongside a broader list of grocery giants — a move that transforms what began as a narrow supply-chain probe into a sweeping look at how beef gets priced from packing plant to checkout counter.

The Full List of Retailers Under Scrutiny

Beyond Walmart and Costco, the expanded probe also covers Ahold Delhaize's U.S. business, Albertsons, Aldi, Kroger and Publix, according to a DOJ post on X. That's eight major retail chains now facing federal scrutiny over a category of product Americans buy in massive volume week after week.

Building on an Earlier Meatpacker Investigation

This expansion doesn't stand alone — it builds directly on an investigation the DOJ opened in May, targeting the four largest meatpackers in the country: JBS, Cargill, Tyson Foods and National Beef. According to the department, these four companies collectively control more than 85% of the entire U.S. beef processing market, giving them enormous influence over pricing at the supply chain's upstream end.

Why the DOJ Is Digging Deeper

The department said Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr. sent formal letters to all eight retailers, specifically addressing "recent increases in the retail price for beef." As the DOJ put it in its own statement: "Beef prices are a critical concern to Americans, and a priority for this Justice Department."

What the Letters Actually Demand

Letters reviewed by Fox Business laid out the investigation's considerable scope. Federal antitrust officials are reviewing retailers' beef pricing strategies, profit margins, underlying costs and purchasing arrangements — with the inquiry stretching all the way back to 2020, a five-year lookback window that suggests investigators are searching for long-term patterns rather than a single recent price spike.

"The Antitrust Division is assessing trends in beef prices - a matter of critical concern to the American public, and a priority for the United States Department of Justice," Woodward wrote in identical letters dated July 14, sent separately to each of the eight companies.

The Specific Records Being Requested

The DOJ said it will seek documentation tied to retail beef sales and pricing, wholesale purchases, underlying costs and profit margins, along with detailed pricing and purchasing strategies. The department is also requesting each company's own internal analyses of wholesale and retail beef price trends — essentially asking retailers to hand over their own homework on the subject.

Briefings Required on Four Key Areas

Beyond documents alone, the DOJ asked company staff to personally brief investigators on four specific areas: shifts in beef pricing strategies and profit margins between 2020 and 2026, cost changes over that same six-year window, and the wholesale purchasing arrangements each retailer maintains with meatpackers.

A Tariff Policy Shift Adds Context

This investigation lands just two weeks after the U.S. government announced plans to ease tariffs on ground beef — a move President Trump said would lower prices for consumers, though the decision has been met with dismay from within the beef industry itself, according to reporting from Just Food.