U.S. DOJ Secures $3.3 Million Settlement Over Egg Price Collusion

The U.S. Department of Justice and 17 state attorneys general announced a settlement with the three largest egg producers—Cal‑Maine Foods, Versova Holdings and Hickman’s Egg Ranch—over alleged price‑fixing from June 2022 through March 2025. The companies will pay about $3.3 million in fines and donate more than 50 million eggs, while agreeing to cease communication about pricing and to appoint internal antitrust officers. Investigators say the firms coordinated bids to manipulate the Urner Barry egg‑price benchmark, inflating retail and wholesale prices across the country. The producers deny wrongdoing, attributing price spikes to avian‑flu outbreaks, the pandemic and inflation. State officials framed the deal as a win for consumers, warning other companies against similar conduct.