Attorney General Josh Kaul said that more than 400,000 eggs have been delivered to Wisconsin food banks and community organizations this week, marking the first shipments of approximately 2 million eggs secured for Wisconsin through a multistate settlement with three major egg producers for allegedly colluding behind the scenes to raise prices.
On Tuesday, 42 pallets of eggs were delivered to Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin locations in Appleton and Milwaukee, marking the first in a series of deliveries to food banks and community organizations across the state.
The settlement, announced in June, followed a multistate investigation by a coalition of 17 attorneys general and the U.S. Department of Justice (U.S. DOJ). The complaint asserted that Cal-Maine Foods, Versova/Centrum, and Hickman’s Egg Ranch allegedly illegally coordinated to influence a daily price index for eggs, which artificially increased prices for retailers throughout the country.
Under the settlement, the coalition secured more than 50 million eggs for consumers nationwide and $3.3 million from some of the nation’s largest egg producers for allegedly colluding behind the scenes to raise prices. Of the 53 million eggs obtained through the settlement, approximately 2 million eggs will be delivered directly to food banks and community organizations serving Wisconsin.
All three companies must also end their allegedly 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 companies will also pay a combined $3.3 million to the states.
