If your business purchased canned tuna in bulk between 2011 and 2015, you may be owed money from a $6.5 million settlement against Chicken of the Sea. The company agreed to settle claims that it participated in a price-fixing conspiracy with other major seafood companies, artificially inflating the cost of canned tuna sold to commercial food preparers. Eligible claimants include restaurants, food service companies, and institutions that bought tuna through major distributors like Sysco, US Foods, Costco, Walmart, Sam’s Club, and DOT Foods across 27 U.S.
states. The settlement specifically compensates the “Commercial Food Preparers” class—businesses that purchased canned tuna in bulk for resale or use in their operations. A federal judge approved the broader tuna antitrust settlements totaling over $220 million, with Chicken of the Sea’s $6.5 million representing one piece of a much larger legal victory. The $6.5 million settlement breaks down to $3.5 million distributed to class members and $3 million allocated for court and attorney fees, meaning eligible businesses could recover money they overpaid due to coordinated price manipulation that lasted years.
Table of Contents
- What Was the Canned Tuna Price-Fixing Conspiracy?
- How Are Settlement Payments Calculated and Distributed?
- Which Businesses Are Eligible for the Settlement?
- How Do You File a Claim and What Documentation Is Required?
- What’s the Timeline and Deadline for Filing a Claim?
- What Compensation Levels Can Businesses Expect?
- What About the Larger Tuna Antitrust Settlements and Future Price-Fixing Cases?
- Conclusion
- Frequently Asked Questions
What Was the Canned Tuna Price-Fixing Conspiracy?
Between 2011 and 2015, Chicken of the Sea, StarKist, and Bumble Bee Foods—the three largest canned tuna manufacturers—allegedly coordinated prices to keep canned tuna costs artificially high. Instead of competing on price to win customers, the companies reportedly communicated with each other to maintain price floors. For a restaurant purchasing 100 cases of canned tuna per month through Sysco, this price manipulation meant paying inflated prices month after month, increasing operating costs without justification.
The conspiracy particularly harmed commercial food preparers because they purchase in volumes large enough to be price-sensitive but lack the negotiating power to demand lower rates individually. A small chain of fast-casual restaurants might have absorbed several thousand dollars in excess tuna costs over the four-year period. StarKist agreed to pay $130 million to settle claims related to this same conspiracy, the largest amount among all defendant companies, while Lion capital companies agreed to pay $6 million.
How Are Settlement Payments Calculated and Distributed?
The $6.5 million Chicken of the Sea settlement is divided between legal costs and actual restitution. After the $3 million goes to the court and attorneys who prosecuted the case, the remaining $3.5 million is distributed among all eligible claimants based on how much canned tuna they purchased during the conspiracy period. A company that bought 5,000 cases will receive a different payment than one that bought 50,000 cases, with distributions proportional to purchase volume.
However, one limitation of this settlement is that individual claimants typically cannot determine their exact payment without filing a claim and providing documentation of their purchases. Most qualifying businesses need to submit invoices, purchase orders, or distributor records proving they bought canned tuna between 2011 and 2015. A small restaurant without detailed historical purchasing records may struggle to prove its losses, potentially leaving money unclaimed simply because documentation is incomplete or discarded.
Which Businesses Are Eligible for the Settlement?
The settlement covers only commercial food preparers—businesses that purchased canned tuna from the four major distributors (Sysco, US Foods, Costco, Sam’s Club, Walmart, and DOT Foods) in specific states. Eligible states include Arizona, california, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Texas.
This geographic restriction means a restaurant in Oregon or Washington cannot claim from this particular settlement, even if it purchased tuna through Sysco during the same period. A hospital cafeteria in California that sourced canned tuna through US Foods would qualify, as would a catering company in Texas that purchased through Costco’s commercial division. The class definition is narrow by design—it covers only businesses that bought from these specific distributors in these specific states, which prosecutors identified as the most directly affected markets.
How Do You File a Claim and What Documentation Is Required?
To claim your share of the settlement, you’ll need to visit the official settlement website and submit documentation proving your business purchased canned tuna during the conspiracy period. Required documentation typically includes invoices, purchase orders, delivery records, or statements from your distributor showing the dates and quantities of canned tuna purchased. Many businesses stored this information for tax purposes or inventory management, making it recoverable even after a decade.
The challenge is that gathering complete documentation takes time and effort, which is why some eligible businesses never file claims and leave money unclaimed. A restaurant that still has QuickBooks records from 2011-2015 can compile documentation relatively quickly, while a business that operates multiple locations or changed accounting systems may need weeks to assemble full records. The settlement website provides instructions for both single-location and multi-location businesses, and you don’t need an attorney to file your claim—the legal fees are already paid out of the settlement.
What’s the Timeline and Deadline for Filing a Claim?
Settlement deadlines vary depending on the specific defendant and approval date, but most canned tuna claims have claim periods extending 18 to 24 months from the settlement’s final approval date. The Chicken of the Sea settlement has specific deadlines that determine whether you can still file, making it critical to check the official settlement website for your particular defendant. Settlements approved years ago may already be closed to new claims, while others may still be accepting submissions.
One major warning: once a claim deadline passes, you cannot file, regardless of how recently you discovered the settlement. A business owner who learns about this settlement two years after the deadline closes is completely ineligible to claim anything. Additionally, if you filed a claim but didn’t receive payment months after filing, follow up with the claims administrator immediately—contact information is on the settlement website. Delays can sometimes indicate a problem with your documentation submission, and you may need to resubmit information to complete your claim.
What Compensation Levels Can Businesses Expect?
Individual payment amounts depend entirely on your purchasing volume during the conspiracy years. A restaurant that purchased $10,000 worth of canned tuna through eligible distributors would recover a percentage of that amount based on the total settlement pool and total eligible purchases.
The settlement fund of $3.5 million is distributed across all eligible claimants, so your payment depends on your share relative to all other claimants. For example, if the total eligible purchases across all claimants equals $350 million, and your business purchased $1 million worth, your business would be entitled to 1/350th of the $3.5 million settlement pool, or roughly $10,000. Actual calculations are more complex because the settlement also accounts for the magnitude of price inflation caused by the conspiracy—your refund percentage may differ slightly based on what price premiums you actually paid in your specific state and time period.
What About the Larger Tuna Antitrust Settlements and Future Price-Fixing Cases?
The Chicken of the Sea settlement is part of a comprehensive resolution of the canned tuna antitrust litigation that produced settlements totaling over $220 million. StarKist’s $130 million settlement and the Lion Capital companies’ $6 million settlements cover overlapping or non-overlapping customer classes, depending on the defendant.
Some businesses may be eligible to claim from multiple settlements if they purchased tuna from different companies during the conspiracy period, significantly increasing potential recovery. Future price-fixing cases involving other food categories or industries may follow similar patterns, with courts requiring companies to compensate customers harmed by coordination. The tuna case became a landmark because prosecutors successfully proved a multi-year conspiracy affecting an entire industry, resulting in record settlements that signal regulators’ willingness to pursue major food manufacturers for antitrust violations.
Conclusion
The Chicken of the Sea $6.5 million settlement represents real money your business may be owed if you purchased canned tuna between 2011 and 2015 through major distributors in eligible states. The amount you recover depends on your documented purchase volume, but the claims process is straightforward if you maintain good records. Act immediately to gather your documentation and check the official settlement website to confirm your eligibility and the current deadline for filing claims in your state.
Don’t leave this money unclaimed. Settlements like this one typically do not extend deadlines, and once the claims period closes, no late claims are accepted. Visit the settlement website today, confirm your eligibility, and file your claim with the documentation you can locate from your business records. If you purchased canned tuna through Sysco, US Foods, Costco, Walmart, Sam’s Club, or DOT Foods during the conspiracy years, you likely qualify for a payment.
Frequently Asked Questions
If my business folded after 2015, can I still claim the settlement?
Yes, dissolved or closed businesses can claim settlements. You’ll need to file using the original business name and potentially provide documentation showing the business closure. Contact the claims administrator for specific guidance.
What if I don’t have original invoices but have credit card statements showing purchases from distributors?
Credit card statements can sometimes supplement your claim, though they may lack the itemized detail that original invoices provide. Contact the claims administrator to ask whether your available documentation is sufficient before submitting.
Could the settlement be reopened if new defendants are found liable?
Settlements are generally final, but additional defendants in the same price-fixing conspiracy might face separate settlements. No, this settlement itself is closed to new claims and won’t reopen.
How long will it take to receive my payment after I file my claim?
Most settlements process claims within 90 to 120 days of submission, but timelines vary depending on documentation completeness and claims administrator workload. Check the settlement website for current processing times.
Are there federal taxes owed on settlement payments?
Settlement payments to businesses are typically considered recoveries of overpayment and may be tax-free, but consult a CPA or tax professional about your specific situation, as tax treatment can vary.
What if I purchased tuna from multiple eligible distributors in the same state?
You can file one claim covering all your purchases from eligible distributors. Combine your documentation from all sources into a single claim showing total purchases during the eligible period.