The U.S. Justice Department and 17 states have reached settlement agreements with three major egg producers to resolve allegations of illegal price collusion. The states and federal government accused Cal-Maine Foods, Versova, and Hickman’s Egg Ranch of artificially inflating the daily price quotations for eggs between June 2022 and March 2025.
Settlement Terms
Under the settlements, the companies will collectively pay $3.3 million and donate 53 million eggs to food banks and nonprofits. The money will be distributed to the states. The companies will also adopt antitrust compliance programs and ban communicating with competitors on pricing and bidding strategies.
The Justice Department’s Omeed A. Assefi said the proposed settlements ‘resolve years of conduct that dragged on Americans’ finances and their everyday lives.’ Average U.S. egg prices soared to a record high of about $6.23 per dozen in March 2025, amid a bird flu epidemic that forced farmers to slaughter millions of egg-laying chickens.
The settlements would still need court approval. The companies have maintained that allegations of price manipulation were ‘baseless’ and that they believe their conduct has been legal.
Original reporting: WTVQ (Lexington) — read the source article.
