The world’s largest tuna companies are making a splash in Washington with a fight over rules that keep some catches out of school lunches.
StarKist and Tri Marine are clashing with Bumble Bee and Chicken of the Sea over the Agriculture Department’s strict Buy American standards for where tuna is cleaned, canned and shipped.
Bumble Bee and Chicken of the Sea lose under the rules. Both companies have facilities that process tuna in the United States, but their product is also cleaned overseas. Under the USDA standards, their tuna cannot be served in schools, denying them access to a lucrative market.
