You might have missed it. The settlement in the $ billion US egg price-fixing case has been approved by the courts. And it’s giving more than money back to consumers who paid too much for eggs. And they’re pledging to give back actual eggs…
Cal-Maine, Hickman’s Egg Ranch and Versova are three of the largest egg produc-ers in the US. And the trio was investigated for artificially inflating the price of eggs. As a result, they came to a settle-ment with the US Department of Justice to compensate consumers who paid too much. All three will pay cash back. But Cal-Maine is also pledging to donate 30 million eggs to non-profits and food banks across the 17 states included in the settlement.
What they did…
According to Food Dive, “[The] states and the Justice Department alleged that, for years, egg produc-ers artificially inflated bids submitted to an industry index that determines how much grocery stores, restaurants and other buyers pay for the product. The scheme allegedly occurred between June 2022 and March 2025, when egg prices reached a record high for consumers.”
“No product more quintessentially represents affordability than the price Americans pay for eggs,” Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward said in a statement. “These actions prove this Depart-ment’s continued commitment to protecting competition and providing real relief for everyday Amer-icans’ pocketbooks.”
Cal-Maine protests its innocence
While the other to egg producers named in the case seem to have taken defeat in due course, Cal-Maine is still protesting its innocence in the alleged scheme.
C-M says the communication on price ‘bidding’, Cal-Maine maintains that communications around bidding, “did not impact egg prices in any market.” It also it left the produce trumvirate, “prior to and unrelated to the initiation of the DOJ’s investigation.”
It nevertheless joined in the settlement.
The big picture
“As farmers, we face extreme variability across supply and demand in dynamic and often unpredict-able markets,” Sherman Miller, President and CEO of Cal-Maine, said in a statement. “Temporary sup-ply shocks, including in connection with multiple outbreaks of avian influenza, the COVID-19 pandem-ic, weather and other market dynamics – compounded by high inflation at the time – caused egg prices to surge periodically over the past five years.”
Meanwhile, egg producers’ profits have plunged since prices dove earlier this year. Cal-Maine posted a 53% decline in net sales for the first quarter of 2026.
Who benefits?
States included in the settlement include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and Wisconsin.
It’s not yet known exactly how consumers there can apply for rebates.
My take
It’s socially, morally and ethically nasty when those with power – in this case, control over the egg supply – act in their own interests at the expanse of the average person. Some might say it’s socio-pathic behaviour. I say it’s just plain greed. Which boils down to good (bad?) old human nature.
~ Maggie J.