Executives at two major tuna companies are being hooked by the feds for fishy behavior.
Two former executives at Bumble Bee Foods and one former executive from StarKist Co. plead guilty to conspiring to fix prices on canned tuna between 2011 and 2013, federal prosecutors announced last week. StarKist Co. has also pleaded guilty to a felony price fixing charge and faces a fine of up to $100 million.
Corby Kummer, food writer and senior editor at The Atlantic, told Boston Public Radio that the charges came after the Department of Justice cast a wide net over the industry's suspicious pricing practices.
"There's an ongoing Department of Justice investigation to hold these companies accountable," Kummer explained.
Chicken of the Sea, another major player in the industry, was also allegedly in on the price-fixing scheme, but was not charged because they agreed to help with the DOJ's investigation.
This might not be the end of it, either. A lawsuit brought by mega-retailer Walmart last year alleges that the price-fixing scheme continued through 2015.
"StarKist faces a fine of up to $100 million dollars for tuna price fixing between at least 2011and 2013 — probably more," Kummer added.
Bumble Bee Foods paid $25 million in fines last year after pleading guilty to price-fixing charges. Walmart brought its suit against the tuna triumvirate shortly afterward.
