Major egg producers settle price inflation probe for $3.3 million

Organic eggs sit stacked on a loading dock in Petaluma, California, on February 18, 2025. Justin Sullivan | Getty Images News | Getty Images The U.S. Department of Justice and 17 state attorneys general reached a $3.3 million settlement with three of the nation's largest egg producers for alleged price manipulation that "artificially increased" egg prices for consumers and retailers, the coalition said Monday. The egg producers — Cal-Maine Foods, Versova and Hickman's Egg Ranch — "illegally coordinated" over nearly three years to inflate a daily price index for eggs, the coalition alleged, citing the results of an investigation into egg-price collusion that began more than a year ago. The allegations of collusion come amid an affordability crunch among U.S. consumers and as inflation has risen at its fastest pace in more than three years.