Meat Products Manufacturers NAICS 3116

Dec 23, 2025 - Meat Processors Facing Federal Scrutiny

• President Trump has ordered a federal investigation into possible price fixing and anti-competitive behavior across US food supply chains, with a specific focus on foreign‑owned companies in sectors that include meat processing, Food Dive reports. For meat producers, this move brings both risk and opportunity. The investigation increases the likelihood of heightened antitrust scrutiny of large packers, especially multinational firms, potentially leading to enforcement actions, new regulations, or even criminal proceedings if collusion is discovered. The investigation could reshape pricing dynamics, contracting practices, and market power in the meat products sector. For independent and domestic producers, the probe could result in a more level playing field, particularly if regulators curb practices that have historically concentrated market power among a few dominant processors. Broadly speaking, the investigation signals a regulatory environment where meat pricing, procurement, and processor relationships face greater scrutiny.
• Aging food processing infrastructure – some dating back more than half a century – poses risks for food manufacturers, especially producers of perishable products that must move swiftly through the system to preserve freshness and quality, Food Processing (FP) reports. Older equipment is more likely to break down, interrupting production and potentially leading to product loss and unexpected replacement costs. Moreover, prolonged downtime or product loss due to breakdowns can ripple through the supply chain. An incident at a poultry plant affected feed suppliers, transportation networks, as well as downstream distributors and retailers, FP gave as an example. The Boar’s Head deli meat plant in Jarrett, Virginia that was the source of a listeria outbreak that killed nine people, sickened dozens, and caused significant reputational damage to the company was 44 years old when it was shut down in 2024.

• Meat and poultry processors are feeling the impact of the freezing of federal grants by the Trump administration, according to the American Association of Meat Processors (AAMP). Companies that were awarded grants in 2023-24 but not yet received the funds are finding themselves in the middle of expansions and equipment purchases without a way to move forward. The AAMP cites the case of New Hampshire’s Granite State Packing, which was awarded $1.6 million from the USDA under the Local MCAP (Local Meat Capacity) Grant to support independently-owned meat and poultry processing businesses. According to the company, it started construction and ordered more than $600,000 worth of new equipment before learning that grant funds were on hold until further notice. Granite State Packing isn’t alone. Many small and independent producers and farmers have had USDA funding they were counting on frozen by the Trump administration.
• Producer prices for animal slaughtering and processing firms jumped 15.7% in September compared to a year ago, after rising 1.7% in the previous September-versus-September annual comparison, according to the latest US Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Industry producer prices, which hit yet another record high in September, have been rising steeply since March. At the retail level, meat prices rose 8.5% year over year and 1.6% versus the previous month, per the Labor Department’s September 2025 Consumer Price Index. Industry employment was flat in August year over year, while the average industry wage rose 1.1% over the same period to $22.38 per hour, down $0.30 from its peak in January, BLS data show.