"Armed with the same access to each other's data on pricing and other sensitive information, as well as with a direct line of communication to each other, the potato cartel moves prices skyward in lockstep-harming all purchasers of potatoes in the process," plaintiff Alexander Govea said in one complaint.
The lawsuits emerge as consumers continue to wring their hands over how to afford weekly groceries, as global prices reach their highest in 18 months, with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization's food price index rising to 127.4 in October, a 5.5% increase from a year ago.
From 2022 to 2024, prices of frozen potato products increased 47%, one lawsuit said.
The four companies make up about 97% of a U.S. frozen potato industry worth $68 billion annually, one plaintiff stated.
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