Commitments and Contingencies

12 Months Ended

Oct. 27, 2024

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Purchase Commitments: To ensure a steady supply of hogs and turkeys and keep the cost of products stable, the Company has entered into contracts with producers for the purchase of hogs and turkeys at formula-based prices over periods up to 9 years and 8 years, respectively. The Company has also entered into grow-out contracts with independent farmers to raise turkeys for the Company for periods up to 25 years. Under these arrangements, the Company owns the livestock, feed, and other supplies while the independent farmers provide facilities and labor. In addition, the Company has contracted for the purchase of corn, soybean meal, feed ingredients, and other raw materials from independent suppliers for periods up to 2 years.

As of October 27, 2024, the Company is committed to make purchases under these contracts, assuming current price levels, for future fiscal years:


In thousands
2025	$	1,234,988
2026	625,872
2027	313,814
2028	179,145
2029	66,480
Later Years	176,713
Total	$	2,597,012

Purchases under these contracts for fiscal years 2024, 2023, and 2022 were $1.3 billion, $1.4 billion, and $1.2 billion, respectively.

Other Commitments and Guarantees: The Company has commitments of approximately $31.0 million related to infrastructure improvements supporting various manufacturing facilities and $38.3 million for a media advertising agreement as of October 27, 2024.

As of October 27, 2024, the Company has $49.3 million of standby letters of credit issued on its behalf. The standby letters of credit are primarily related to the Company’s self-insured workers' compensation programs. This amount includes revocable standby letters of credit totaling $2.7 million for obligations of an affiliated party that may arise under workers' compensation claims. Letters of credit are not reflected on the Consolidated Statements of Financial Position.

Legal Proceedings: The Company is a party to various legal proceedings related to the ongoing operation of its business, including claims both by and against the Company. At any time, such proceedings typically involve claims related to product liability, labeling, contracts, antitrust regulations, intellectual property, competition laws, employment practices, or other actions brought by employees, customers, consumers, competitors, or suppliers. The Company establishes accruals for its potential exposure, as appropriate, for claims against the Company when losses become probable and reasonably estimable. However, future developments or settlements are uncertain and may require the Company to change such accruals as proceedings progress. Resolution of any currently known matter, either individually or in the aggregate, is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s financial condition, results of operations, or liquidity.

Pork Antitrust Litigation

Beginning in June 2018, a series of putative class action complaints were filed against the Company, as well as several other pork-processing companies and a benchmarking service called Agri Stats, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota styled In re Pork Antitrust Litigation (the Pork Antitrust Litigation). Class Plaintiffs consist of Direct Purchaser Plaintiffs, Commercial and Institutional Indirect Purchaser Plaintiffs, and Consumer Indirect Purchaser Plaintiffs. The Class Plaintiffs allege, among other things, that beginning in January 2009, the defendants conspired and combined to fix, raise, maintain, and stabilize the price of pork and pork products—including through the use of Agri Stats—in violation of federal antitrust laws. The complaints on behalf of the putative classes of indirect purchasers also include causes of action under various state unfair competition laws, consumer protection laws, and unjust enrichment common laws. The plaintiffs seek treble damages, injunctive relief, pre- and post-judgment interest, costs, and attorneys’ fees. Since the original filing, certain plaintiffs, including the Offices of the Attorney General in New Mexico and Alaska, have opted out of class treatment and are proceeding with individual direct actions making similar claims (Non-Class Direct-Action Plaintiffs), and others may do so in the future.

Although the Company strongly denies liability, continues to deny the allegations asserted by the Class Plaintiffs, and believes it has valid defenses, to avoid the uncertainty, risk, expense, and distraction of continued litigation involving the Class Plaintiffs, the Company executed settlement agreements providing for payments by the Company to the Direct Purchaser Plaintiffs of $4.9 million, the Commercial and Institutional Indirect Purchaser Plaintiffs of $2.4 million, and the Consumer Indirect Purchaser Plaintiffs of $4.5 million. The settlement amounts were recorded in Selling, General, and Administrative in the Consolidated Statements of Operations in the second quarter of fiscal 2024 and were paid during the second half of fiscal 2024.

The Company continues to defend against the claims of the Non-Class Direct-Action Plaintiffs. The Company has not recorded any liability for the non-class matters as it does not believe a loss is probable. The Company cannot reasonably estimate any reasonably possible loss. The Company believes that it has valid and meritorious defenses against the allegations.

Turkey Antitrust Litigation

Beginning in December 2019, a series of putative class action complaints were filed against the Company, as well as several other turkey-processing companies and a benchmarking service called Agri Stats, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois styled In re Turkey Antitrust Litigation. The plaintiffs allege, among other things, that from at least 2010 to 2017, the defendants conspired and combined to fix, raise, maintain, and stabilize the price of turkey products—including through the use of Agri Stats—in violation of federal antitrust laws. The complaints on behalf of the putative classes of indirect purchasers also include causes of action under various state unfair competition laws, consumer protection laws, and unjust enrichment common laws. The plaintiffs seek treble damages, injunctive relief, pre- and post-judgment interest, costs, and attorneys’ fees. Since the original filing, certain direct-action plaintiffs have opted out of class treatment and are proceeding with individual direct actions making similar claims, and others may do so in the future. The Company has not recorded any liability for these matters as it does not believe a loss is probable. The Company cannot reasonably estimate any reasonably possible loss. The Company believes that it has valid and meritorious defenses against the allegations.

Poultry Wages Antitrust Litigation

In December 2019, a putative class of non-supervisory production and maintenance employees at poultry-processing plants in the continental U.S. filed an amended consolidated class action complaint against Jennie-O Turkey Store, Inc. and various other poultry processing companies in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland styled Jien, et al. v. Perdue Farms, Inc., et al. (the Poultry Wages Antitrust Litigation). In the operative amended complaint filed in February 2022, the plaintiffs allege that, since 2000, the defendants directly and through wage surveys and a benchmarking service exchanged information regarding compensation in an effort to depress and fix wages and benefits for employees at poultry-processing plants, feed mills, and hatcheries in violation of federal antitrust laws. The complaint sought, among other things, treble monetary damages, punitive damages, restitution, and pre- and post-judgment interest, as well as declaratory and injunctive relief. In July 2022, the Court partially granted the Company’s motion to dismiss, and dismissed plaintiffs’ per se wage-fixing claim as to the Company.

Although the Company strongly denies liability, continues to deny the allegations asserted by the plaintiffs, and believes it has valid defenses, to avoid the uncertainty, risk, expense, and distraction of continued litigation, the Company executed a settlement agreement with the plaintiffs on August 20, 2024, to settle this matter for the payment of $3.5 million. The settlement remains subject to Court approval. The Company recorded the agreed-upon settlement amount in Selling, General, and Administrative in the Consolidated Statements of Operations and in Accrued Expenses on the Consolidated Statements of Financial Position for the third quarter of fiscal 2024. The agreed-upon settlement amount will be paid following preliminary Court approval.

Red Meat Wages Antitrust Litigation

In November 2022, a putative class of non-supervisory production and maintenance employees at “red meat” processing plants in the continental U.S. filed a class action complaint against the Company and various other beef- and pork-processing companies in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado styled Brown, et al. v. JBS USA Food Co., et al. (the Red Meat Wages Antitrust Litigation). In the operative amended complaint filed in January 2024, the plaintiffs allege that, since 2000, the defendants directly and through wage surveys and a benchmarking service exchanged information regarding compensation in an effort to depress and fix wages and benefits for employees at beef- and pork-processing plants in violation of federal antitrust laws. The complaint sought, among other things, treble monetary damages, punitive damages, restitution, and pre- and post-judgment interest, as well as declaratory and injunctive relief.

Although the Company strongly denies liability, continues to deny the allegations asserted by the plaintiffs, and believes it has valid defenses, to avoid the uncertainty, risk, expense, and distraction of continued litigation, the Company executed a settlement agreement with the plaintiffs on August 20, 2024, to settle this matter for the payment of $13.5 million and the provision of certain data and information. The settlement remains subject to Court approval. The Company recorded the agreed-upon settlement amount in Selling, General, and Administrative in the Consolidated Statements of Operations and in Accrued Expenses on the Consolidated Statements of Financial Position for the third quarter of fiscal 2024. The agreed-upon settlement amount will be paid following preliminary Court approval.

Tax Proceedings: Two current Company subsidiaries organized in Brazil, Clean Field Comércio de Produtos de Alimentícios LTDA and Omamori Indústria de Alimentos LTDA, the results of which are reported in the International segment, as well as one former subsidiary, Talis Distribuidora de Alimentos LTDA, received tax deficiency notices from the State of São Paulo Tax Authority Office alleging underpayment of ICMS and ICMS-ST taxes, which are similar to value added taxes, for multiple tax years. The subsidiaries have filed objections to appeal these tax deficiency notices, and the proceedings are in various stages of the administrative review process. Any adverse outcomes at the administrative level are expected to be eligible for further appeal through judicial processes. The Company has not recognized a loss relating to any of these assessments. The Company cannot at this time reasonably estimate any reasonably possible loss.