Trump Orders Task Forces to Protect Food Supply Chain Competition, Security

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Dec. 6 establishing security task forces within the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to protect competition across the U.S. food supply chain.

The order, titled “Addressing Security Risks From Price Fixing and Anti-Competitive Behavior in the Food Supply Chain,” states that anti-competitive behavior in the food industry, particularly by “foreign-controlled corporations,” poses a threat to the “stability and affordability” of the U.S. food supply chain. It states that some companies in the U.S. food supply chains have “even settled civil lawsuits accusing them of price fixing for tens of millions of dollars.”

“Food supply sectors, including meat processing, seed, fertilizer, and equipment, have similar vulnerabilities to price fixing and other anti-competitive practices,” the president wrote in the order. “My Administration will act to determine whether anti-competitive behavior, especially by foreign-controlled companies, increases the cost of living for Americans and address any associated national security threat to food supply chains.”

The order directs Attorney General Pam Bondi and FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson to establish food supply chain security task forces within their respective agencies.

These task forces will “take all necessary and appropriate actions to investigate food-related industries within their established areas of expertise and determine whether anti-competitive behavior exists in food supply chains in the United States” and whether control from “food-related industries by foreign entities” is raising food prices in the United States.

The order directs Bondi and Ferguson to bring “enforcement actions” and propose “new regulatory approaches” if their respective task forces’ investigations uncover any anti-competitive behavior.

Additionally, the task forces are directed to jointly brief House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), and the chairs of congressional committees of jurisdiction within 180 days of Trump’s signing of the order, and again within 365 days of the signing date, Dec. 6.

“Such briefings shall not include any information related to ongoing investigations, prosecutions, regulatory actions, or litigation, nor any non‑public information regarding any food-related industry investigated pursuant to this order,” the order states.

Trump’s opponent in the 2024 election, then-Vice President Kamala Harris, was critical of price fixing and anti-competitive behavior in the U.S. food supply chain and accused companies of artificially increasing prices to worsen the growing inflation that flourished under the Biden administration.

Several Democrats have run on affordability campaigns this year, and New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani made it the central focus of his platform.

Recently, Trump has criticized Democrats for focusing on “affordability” in their political messaging, referring to it as a “Democrat hoax” because of the inflation levels inherited from his predecessor, even as some economists argue that the president’s tariffs are contributing to rising prices, including within the U.S. food supply chain.

Trump’s new order tackles some of these concerns, particularly if either of the two task force investigations leads to any new regulatory approaches that may contribute to lower prices at the grocery store.