The Justice Department has broadened its investigation into rising beef prices to include eight of the country's largest grocery retailers, escalating a probe that had previously targeted only the meatpacking industry, according to The Hill.

The DOJ's Antitrust Division is now examining Kroger, Publix, Walmart, Albertsons, Aldi, Ahold Delhaize, Costco and Amazon, investigators confirmed. The inquiry will look at each company's beef pricing, costs, profit margins, purchasing agreements and sales trends dating back to 2020, a period that has seen cattle supplies shrink and consumer beef prices climb to some of the highest levels on record.

Publix Under Particular Scrutiny

Florida-based Publix has drawn extra attention after meat-counter prices in its stores hit record highs even as the grocer's profits climbed to the highest levels in company history, a combination that has fueled consumer complaints and caught investigators' interest, according to reporting from FOX6 Milwaukee and other Fox affiliates.

"BEEF AFFORDABILITY" UNDER THE MICROSCOPE.

The retailer probe builds on a broader investigation the DOJ opened in May into the so-called "Big Four" meatpackers — JBS, Cargill, Tyson Foods and National Beef — which together control more than 85% of U.S. beef processing capacity. That earlier probe examined whether concentration among the packers themselves was artificially inflating prices paid by ranchers and, ultimately, consumers.

By widening the inquiry to the retail side, investigators are signaling they want to understand the full supply chain — from cattle ranchers through packers to the meat case — as beef prices have become one of the most visible flashpoints in the broader affordability debate gripping Washington heading into the midterms. Grocery executives have previously blamed drought-driven cattle herd shrinkage and high feed costs for the price increases, arguments antitrust investigators are now testing against the companies' own financial data.

None of the eight retailers named in the probe has been accused of wrongdoing, and DOJ officials cautioned the investigation remains in its early stages. Still, the expanded scope raises the stakes for grocery chains already facing political pressure over food costs.

What's next: investigators are expected to issue formal requests for pricing and purchasing records to each of the eight retailers, a process that legal experts say could take months before any findings — or potential enforcement action — become public.