Three of the nation’s largest egg producers have agreed to pay $3.3 million and donate 53 million eggs to resolve allegations they conspired to inflate egg prices during a period when Americans were already grappling with soaring grocery costs.
The proposed settlement, announced Monday by New York Attorney General Letitia James, resolves claims brought by the Department of Justice and a bipartisan coalition of 17 states against Cal-Maine Foods, Versova, and Hickman’s Egg Ranch. Under the agreement, the companies will also provide 4.9 million eggs to food banks and organizations serving New Yorkers.
According to investigators, executives from the three companies secretly coordinated bids used to calculate the daily shell egg price index between June 2022 and March 2025, artificially driving up prices paid by consumers nationwide.
Prosecutors cited a December 2022 email in which Hickman’s CEO allegedly urged executives at the other companies to submit “strong bids, early and often” in an effort to push prices higher. The Justice Department also alleged the companies employed “spoofing-like tactics” designed to influence market prices by placing orders intended to move the market before canceling them, according to the complaint.
The alleged scheme unfolded during one of the most volatile periods in the egg market. A historic outbreak of avian influenza sharply reduced supplies, helping drive Midwest large egg prices to a record $5.36 per dozen in late 2022. Investigators contend the companies exploited those already strained market conditions to further increase prices.
The proposed settlement must still receive final court approval. The companies have agreed to the settlement without admitting wrongdoing.
Three major egg producers have agreed to settle price-fixing allegations brought by the DOJ and 17 states, paying $3.3 million and donating 53 million eggs to food banks and nonprofit organizations. pic.twitter.com/5h6xn4WSdJ
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) July 1, 2026
More over at The New York Post:
Big egg producers artificially inflated prices as Americans struggled to buy groceries, must now pay $3.3M: DOJ https://t.co/LXp7f0f6OK pic.twitter.com/LX8mQEi0ou
— New York Post (@nypost) July 1, 2026
