The Federal Trade Commission sued PepsiCo on Friday, alleging that it has engaged in illegal price discrimination by giving unfair price advantages to one large retailer at the expense of other vendors and consumers.

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 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 Robinson-Patman Act was passed in 1936, but the federal government stopped enforcing it during the deregulation of the 1980s. The FTC resumed its enforcement in December when it sued Southern Glazer’s, the largest U.S. distributor of wine and spirits.

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.

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,