Attorney General Dave Sunday announced a multistate settlement with some of the nation’s largest egg producers that will deliver approximately 3.4 million eggs — or 288,075 dozen eggs — to Pennsylvania food banks and community organizations — the result of a national investigation that uncovered an illegal scheme to manipulate egg prices.
The bipartisan investigation, conducted alongside the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and attorneys general across the country, found that Cal-Maine Foods (Cal-Maine), Versova/Centrum (Versova) and Hickman’s Egg Ranch (Hickman’s) illegally coordinated for years to influence a daily price index for eggs, which artificially increased prices for retailers and consumers throughout the country.
“As Pennsylvania families continue to feel the impact of rising food costs, businesses should compete fairly — not conspire to drive prices higher,” Attorney General Sunday said. “This settlement holds these companies accountable for manipulating egg prices and delivers a direct benefit to Pennsylvanians through millions of eggs that will help feed families in need across the Commonwealth.”
Attorney General Sunday and the coalition’s investigation found that from approximately June 2022 to March 2025, the egg producers secretly communicated with one another to coordinate their bidding activity and influence the daily egg price published by Urner Barry, a benchmark pricing service widely used in egg supply contracts.
For example, in December 2022, Hickman’s CEO emailed Versova and Cal-Maine executives urging them to submit “strong bids, early and often” to push prices higher. All three companies then submitted dozens of bids at higher prices, which led to Urner Barry increasing its price quotes. By manipulating the Urner Barry benchmark, the companies artificially inflated the price of eggs paid by retailers and consumers across the nation.
Under the settlement, the companies must end their illegal coordination to manipulate prices, implement compliance measures designed to prevent future violations, and fully cooperate with oversight by the participating states. Each company must designate an antitrust compliance officer responsible for monitoring compliance and reporting violations to the states and DOJ.
As part of the settlement, approximately 53 million eggs will be donated at the companies’ expense to food banks and nonprofit organizations across the participating states, including approximately 3.4 million eggs designated for Pennsylvania organizations. All donated eggs must meet applicable food safety and regulatory standards. The companies will also pay a combined $3.3 million to the states.
