When the System Is Rigged, Your Cart Is A Protest

In October 2025, Tyson Foods agreed to pay an $55 million settlement for its role in an industry-wide scheme to artificially inflate pork prices. Over nearly a decade, the nation’s largest meatpackers colluded to limit supply and drive up costs for consumers.

The result? Higher grocery bills. Lower earnings for farmers. And billions in extra profits for Big Meat.

If you care about where your food comes from, this is a call to action. While industrial agriculture plays shell games with pricing, regenerative farmers are doing the opposite: rebuilding trust, transparency, and community-rooted food systems.

What Happened: Price-Fixing in the Pork Industry

• Tyson’s $55M settlement is the largest payout in a pork price-fixing lawsuit that also named Smithfield, JBS, and others.

• Meatpackers allegedly used a data platform called Agri Stats to coordinate supply cuts and increase prices.

• From 2009 to 2018, companies shared confidential data to control market output.

• These actions led to inflated prices for pork products across the U.S.

• Despite the fines, major meatpackers posted record profits while small producers struggled.

What It Means for Food Transparency

This wasn’t just about pork. It was about control. When a handful of corporations manipulate the supply chain, consumers lose the ability to make informed choices—and local farmers get pushed out.

True food transparency means:

• Knowing who raised your food and how

• Understanding pricing beyond the barcode

• Supporting systems that prioritize relationships over volume

Price-fixing undermines all of that. It distorts the marketplace and hides the real cost of food behind artificial scarcity.

Regenerative Farmers Are Doing It Differently

While Big Ag hoards data and power, regenerative farmers are:

• Sharing their practices openly

• Selling directly to local communities

• Prioritizing soil health, biodiversity, and animal welfare

Most importantly, they’re building relationships with people and communities, not extracting profit from them.

At The Regenaissance, we don’t sell meat. We advocate for food freedom and help consumers reconnect with real producers. Tools like FromTheFarm.org can help you find regenerative livestock farmers near you who value ethics over excess.

What You Can Do

You don’t have to accept manipulated prices and hidden supply chains. Here’s how to opt out:

✅ Meet Your Local Farmer

Use tools like FromTheFarm.org to source directly from regenerative producers in your area.

✅ Ask Better Questions

Whether at the market or online, ask: "Who raised this? How were they paid? What’s the story behind this food?"

✅ Share This Story

The more we talk about price-fixing, the more pressure we put on the system to change. Knowledge is power—and food is political.

A Transparent Food Future Is Possible

Tyson’s settlement is a reminder: the industrial food system isn’t broken—it’s working exactly as designed. But we have a choice. Every dollar we spend, every question we ask, and every farmer we support pushes the system toward something better.

A regenerative food future is possible—but it won’t be handed to us. We have to build it, one relationship at a time.

Want to be part of the solution? Subscribe to our newsletter and join thousands of food freedom Rebels working to reclaim the food system from the bottom up.