Key facts
- Three major egg producers have agreed to a proposed settlement with the Department of Justice and 17 state attorneys general.
- The settlement resolves allegations of price fixing between 2022 and March 2025.
- The companies allegedly colluded to inflate egg prices by coordinating bids on egg exchanges.
- The proposed settlement includes a $3.3 million fine and a donation of over 50 million eggs to food banks.
- The companies have agreed to the settlement without admitting any wrongdoing.
Three major egg producers, Cal-Maine, Versova, and Hickman's Egg Ranch, have agreed to a proposed settlement with the Department of Justice and 17 state attorneys general to resolve allegations of price fixing. The companies are accused of colluding between 2022 and March 2025 to keep egg prices artificially high by coordinating bids on egg exchanges. This alleged manipulation would have impacted prices seen by consumers in grocery stores.
The proposed settlement requires the three companies to pay a combined $3.3 million fine and donate over 50 million eggs to food banks. The agreement must still be accepted by a court. The companies have agreed to the settlement without admitting any wrongdoing. A representative for Versova stated that the decision to settle reflects a desire to move past the matter and focus on business operations. MTQ USA, the owner of Hickman's, noted that the alleged issues predated its acquisition of the company in November 2025.
While the settlement addresses alleged price manipulation, the article acknowledges that avian flu was also a significant factor contributing to high egg prices during the period. Hickman's, for instance, reported that avian flu was responsible for the deaths of 95% of its flock in June 2025. Egg prices became a prominent issue during the 2020s, frequently discussed in news cycles and political campaigns as a symbol of rising grocery costs and the broader cost-of-living crisis in the United States. Prices reached $4.95 a dozen in January 2025 and an all-time high of $6.23 three months later, around which time the DOJ announced its investigation.