Attorney General Clark Announces Settlement Delivering More Than 900,000 Eggs to Vermont Foodbank Following Egg Price Manipulation Investigation

Attorney General Charity Clark today announced that Vermont will receive approximately 915,000 eggs and $56,000 as part of a settlement with the nation's largest egg producers for colluding behind the scenes to raise prices.

A bipartisan multistate investigation with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed that Cal-Maine Foods, Versova/Centrum, and Hickman's Egg Ranch illegally coordinated for years to influence a daily price index for eggs, which artificially increased prices for retailers and consumers throughout the country. Today's settlement will result in a donation of 53 million eggs and $3.3 million nationwide. Vermont's eggs will be delivered directly to food banks and community organizations serving Vermont.

"While consumers struggled to afford rising costs of basic groceries, the largest egg producers in the country were colluding to artificially inflate prices," said Attorney General Clark. "They rigged the system and took money out of Vermonters' pockets. This settlement holds them accountable and will support the Vermont Foodbank as it works to address hunger in our state."

"Eggs are one of the most high-demand items from our neighbors, and it has become increasingly difficult to purchase enough to meet the demand," shared John Sayles, CEO of Vermont Foodbank. "This settlement directly supports Vermont food security by providing eggs to neighbors across the state at a time when both food prices and demand at local food shelves are rising, particularly for fresh protein items. We applaud the Attorney General's office for ensuring that people in Vermont are supported by this settlement and will have access to food they need and want to thrive," continued Sayles.

Attorney General Clark and the coalition's investigation found that from approximately June 2022 to March 2025, the egg producers secretly communicated with each other to coordinate their bidding activity and influence the daily egg price quotes 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, all three companies must end their illegal coordination to manipulate prices, adopt compliance measures to prevent future violations, and fully cooperate with oversight by the states. The companies must designate antitrust compliance officers who will monitor for violations of the settlement and report violations to the states and DOJ. The 53 million donated eggs will be provided at the companies' expense to food banks and nonprofit organizations across the participating states and must meet all food safety and regulatory standards. The companies will also pay a combined $3.3 million to the states.

Joining Attorney General Clark and DOJ in securing this settlement are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin.

Contact: Lauren Jandl, Chief of Staff, 802-828-3171