The Federal Trade Commission on Friday sued PepsiCo in a last-minute blitz of lawsuits before the end of the Biden administration, alleging that the beverage giant forced many consumers to pay higher prices by giving Walmart unfair pricing advantages.

The FTC is suing PepsiCo for allegedly rigging the market by offering “unfair pricing advantages” that can contribute to inflation.

A lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission alleges that food and beverage maker PepsiCo engaged in illegal price discrimination by giving unfair price advantages to one big-box retailer.

The lawsuit, filed on 17 January 2025, contends that PepsiCo's preferential treatment of a retailer constituted a breach of the Robinson-Patman Act (RPA), a legislation designed to protect fair competition by prohibiting anticompetitive price discrimination.

"Much of Walmart’s market dominance can be attributed to its use of this illegal and anti-competitive tactic," says Stacy Mitchell

The Federal Trade Commission sued PepsiCo on Friday for offering preferential pricing to a large retailer, whom a source familiar with the matter confirmed was Walmart. The practices fed high ...

The commission alleges that the retailer, whose name was redacted in the statement from commissioners, received “unfair pricing advantages” that were not made available to others.

Walmart is the unnamed retailer, people familiar with the matter told CNBC. The FTC alleges Pepsi violated the Robinson-Patman Act, which bars sellers from giving competing buyers different prices for the same “commodity” or selectively providing ...

The US Federal Trade Commission sued PepsiCo Inc. Friday under a rarely invoked 1930s law called the Robinson-Patman Act that bars price discrimination against retailers.

The FTC has filed a lawsuit against PepsiCo, accusing it of illegal price discrimination by giving preferential pricing to Walmart, disadvantaging other retailers and customers. PepsiCo disputes these allegations,

The FTC, whose legal filing was sealed, said PepsiCo provided promotional pricing deals to a single “big-box” customer. Walmart was the recipient of those incentives, according to people ...

FTC Chair Lina Khan stated that allowing such a merger would have created “a market that is less competitive and more susceptible to price manipulation.” Consumer advocacy groups had also argued that smaller suppliers and independent grocers would struggle to compete with a retail behemoth, potentially forcing local stores out of business.