The new initiative targets potential foreign influence and anti-competitive behavior in U.S. food supply chains.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
President Donald Trump on Saturday signed an executive order directing the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission to form specialized Food Supply Chain Security Task Forces to investigate price fixing, collusion, and other anti-competitive practices across U.S. food-related industries.
The order — “Addressing Security Risks From Price Fixing and Anti-Competitive Behavior in the Food Supply Chain” — defines the affordability and reliability of food supplies as both a national and economic security priority. It specifically directs federal agencies to determine whether foreign-controlled corporations are manipulating grocery prices or creating vulnerabilities in America’s food system.
The directive cites previous civil settlements totaling tens of millions of dollars involving alleged price fixing in sectors such as meat processing, seed production, fertilizer, and agricultural equipment. It warns that ongoing collusion or monopolistic practices threaten the stability of the U.S. food supply, particularly when tied to foreign ownership.
Under the order, both the attorney general and the FTC chairman must establish investigative task forces within their respective agencies. They are instructed to examine whether anti-competitive conduct or foreign control has contributed to price inflation and to take enforcement action where warranted. If criminal collusion is identified, the Justice Department is authorized to launch grand jury proceedings.
The order also mandates progress briefings to congressional leaders — including the speaker of the House, the Senate majority leader, and relevant committee chairs — within 180 and 365 days. These updates will exclude sensitive or nonpublic investigative details but may include policy or legislative recommendations.
Saturday’s move follows Trump’s earlier demand that the Department of Justice investigate meatpacking companies accused of inflating beef prices through collusion and manipulation.
“We will always protect our American ranchers,” Trump said last month on Truth Social. “They are being blamed for what is being done by majority foreign-owned meat packers who artificially inflate prices and jeopardize the security of our nation’s food supply.”
The creation of the Food Supply Chain Security Task Forces marks the most aggressive federal action yet under Trump’s broader campaign to restore fairness, transparency, and independence to America’s food markets.
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