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17 States Have an ‘Unusual’ Problem in Big Price-Fixing Settlement: Distributing 53 Million Free Eggs to Americans

By Sasha Rogelberg
September 9, 2026
Fortune

17 States Have an ‘Unusual’ Problem in Big Price-Fixing Settlement: Distributing 53 Million Free Eggs to Americans

By Sasha Rogelberg
September 9, 2026
Fortune

Read below

More than a dozen states have begun distributing millions of free eggs across local food banks following a settlement with three major producers over alleged collusion, but legal experts say this “unusual” remedy faces a logistical hurdle of making sure those eggs reach the American people.

“There are huge administrative problems with making sure that a settlement of this nature goes according to plan,” Katie Speegle, an antitrust lawyer and partner at Duane Morris, told Fortune.

In June, the U.S. Justice Department and 17 states settled a lawsuit alleging three major egg producers—Cal-Maine Foods, Versova, and Hickman’s Egg Ranch—illegally colluded to inflate the price of eggs, which reached record heights last year. The complaint claimed the companies coordinated on bids submitted to Urner Barry Publications, which runs an index key that reports prices for grocery stores and restaurants.


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