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.

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.

The U.S. 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 .

Uncle Sam is always watching, even if you’re a major brand like Pepsi or Walmart. The Federal Trade Commission, or what we will call FTC from here on, has filed a major lawsuit against Pepsi for colluding with Walmart to keep prices lower at Walmart stores than any other stores.

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has launched legal action against PepsiCo, accusing the company of engaging in “illegal price discrimination” within soft drinks. According to the FTC’s allegations,