2 million eggs will be delivered to Minnesota as part of settlement

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison says around 2 million eggs will be delivered to "food banks and community organizations" in Minnesota as part of a settlement with three major egg producers. 

The U.S. Department of Justice along with 17 states filed a civil lawsuit against the three companies, Cal-Maine Foods, Versova and Hickman's Egg Ranch, alleging the companies "coordinated to artificially inflate the daily price quotations for eggs" between June 2022 and March 2025. The DOJ says the companies colluded on bids to Urner Barry Publications, a company that runs a price index which influences how much grocery stores, restaurants and others pay for eggs each year.

In the complaint, the DOJ says egg price quotations began to drop after the companies found out they were under investigation. 

The CBS News price tracker shows a dozen eggs cost around $6.23 in March of 2025 and fell to $2.19 in May 2026.

The companies agreed to a settlement and did not admit any wrongdoing. If approved by the court, Ellison says they will pay out 3.3 million dollars and 53 million eggs to the 17 states. 

Cal-maine Food called the allegations baseless and said that period of time reviewed by the DOJ was particularly challenging due to the pandemic, weather and the bird flu. 

At the start of 2025, the USDA reported millions of egg laying chickens died from bird flu, cutting into the egg supply as prices rose.

Versova told the Associated Press that the bird flu took a toll on its farmers, who it noted "don't set the wholesale price of eggs." Instead, Versova said the price of most of its eggs depends on cost fluctuations of grain used in hen feeds.

Hickman's owner Mantiqueira USA, which acquired the egg producer, said the "conduct referenced in the complaint predates our acquisition," noting that it is committed to complying with the law.