Egg producers to give 53m eggs over price-fixing claims

Cal-Maine Foods, Versova and Hickman's Egg Ranch will donate 53 million eggs to US food banks under a settlement announced on August 5 over price-fixing claims brought by 17 states.

New York Attorney General Letitia James said the companies will also pay $3.3 million to affected states and change their business practices. The states alleged the producers secretly coordinated to influence daily egg price quotes published by a benchmark service used in egg supply contracts.

James said the companies began colluding as early as 2022. New York is due to receive 4,968,000 eggs, with 280,280 already delivered in Brooklyn and further deliveries scheduled through October.

The other states in the deal are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Wisconsin.