Cal-Maine Foods

Cal-Maine Foods' founding family earned $320 million by selling part of their controlling stake shortly after federal investigations into an alleged egg price-fixing scheme began. The scheme is accused of inflating egg prices, increasing grocery costs for millions of consumers.

The U.S. Justice Department and 17 states reached a $3.3 million settlement with Cal-Maine Foods, Versova, and Hickman’s Egg Ranch over allegations of colluding to inflate egg prices by manipulating price quotations. The companies will also donate 53 million eggs to food banks and nonprofits as part of the resolution, which requires court approval.

Egg producers Cal-Maine Foods, Versova, and Hickman’s will pay $3.3 million and donate 53 million eggs to resolve allegations of price-fixing. The U.S. Justice Department and 17 states accused the companies of colluding to raise egg prices, including during record-high cost periods.

Minnesota and 17 other states secured a $3.3 million settlement with three major egg producers—Cal-Maine Foods, Versova/Centrum, and Hickman’s Egg Ranch—accused of colluding to artificially inflate egg prices from June 2022 to March 2025. The companies denied wrongdoing but agreed to provide 53 million eggs at their own expense as part of the settlement.

The U.S. Justice Department and 17 states reached settlements with Cal-Maine Foods, Versova, and Hickman's Egg Ranch for allegedly colluding to manipulate egg prices between June 2022 and March 2025. The companies will pay $3.3 million and donate 53 million eggs to food banks, with the settlements requiring antitrust compliance measures and court approval.

Three major egg producers, Cal-Maine Foods, Versova, and Hickman’s Egg Ranch, agreed to pay $3.3 million and donate 53 million eggs to resolve allegations of colluding to manipulate egg prices between June 2022 and March 2025. The companies coordinated bids to influence the Urner Barry Publications egg price index, leading to higher consumer prices, but none admitted wrongdoing under the settlement.

Vermont officials found several large egg producers may have colluded to inflate prices, leading to a settlement that will provide 915,000 eggs and $56,000 to the Vermont Foodbank. A 15-month investigation by federal and state authorities resulted in a lawsuit against Cal-Maine Foods, Versova/Centrum, and Hickman’s Egg Ranch for allegedly manipulating egg prices between 2022 and 2025.

Three major egg producers—Cal-Maine Foods, Versova, and Hickman’s Egg Ranch—will pay $3.3 million and donate 53 million eggs to settle allegations of colluding to manipulate egg prices by coordinating bids with Urner Barry Publications. The settlement, reached with the U.S. Justice Department and 17 states, resolves claims that the companies artificially inflated prices between 2022 and 2025 without admitting wrongdoing.

The U.S. Justice Department and 17 states reached settlements with Cal-Maine Foods, Versova, and Hickman’s Egg Ranch over allegations of price-fixing by coordinating bids to manipulate egg price quotations between 2022 and 2025. The companies will pay $3.3 million and donate 53 million eggs to food banks, with no admission of wrongdoing, as part of the agreement requiring antitrust compliance measures.

U.S. antitrust authorities allege several major egg producers coordinated pricing during the 2022-2025 bird flu outbreak, influencing benchmark prices and contributing to high consumer egg prices. Companies like Cal-Maine Foods, Versova, and Hickman’s Egg Ranch are part of a proposed settlement involving financial payments, egg donations to food banks, and revised trading practices.

The DOJ and 17 states settled an egg price-fixing investigation. Cal-Maine Foods, Versova, and Hickman's Egg Ranch agreed to pay $3.3 million combined and donate 53 million eggs to food banks.