Attorney General James Secures More Than 280,000 Eggs for New York City Families

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced the delivery of more than 280,000 eggs to City Harvest in Brooklyn as part of a bipartisan multistate settlement with Cal-Maine Foods (Cal-Maine), Versova/Centrum (Versova), and Hickman’s Egg Ranch (Hickman’s) for years of price fixing. A multistate investigation led by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) alongside the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and 16 other states revealed that Cal-Maine, Versova, and Hickman’s illegally coordinated to influence a daily price index for eggs. This illegal collusion artificially increased prices for retailers and consumers throughout the country for years. Under a settlement with the states, the three egg producers will deliver 53 million eggs to food banks throughout the country, including 4,968,000 eggs to New York. In addition to the egg deliveries, the companies will pay $3.3 million and make changes to their practices to prevent future violations of the law. The delivery of 23,400 cartons of a dozen eggs to City Harvest is the first in a series of egg deliveries to food banks statewide.

“It is unacceptable that New Yorkers paid higher prices for eggs because these companies were working together behind the scenes to raise prices,” said Attorney General James. “My office has zero tolerance for big corporations breaking the law to boost their profits at the expense of working families. We are delivering free eggs to those in need across the state because no New Yorker should get ripped off at the grocery store.”

“We are so grateful to receive this delivery of eggs, which are among the most requested items by our food pantry partners and the New Yorkers we serve,” said CEO of City Harvest Jilly Stephens. "This delivery will help more than 20,000 New Yorkers in need put food on the table at a time when nearly 50% of working-aged households in New York City are struggling to make ends meet.” 

280,000 eggs delivered to City Harvest that will be distributed throughout New York City

Attorney General James and the coalition’s investigation found that beginning as early as 2022, these three 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. The companies submitted 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.

As a result of settlements with OAG and the coalition of states, the three companies will deliver a total of 53 million eggs to food banks and nonprofit organizations across the participating states and pay a combined $3.3 million. Under a separate settlement with DOJ and the coalition of states, the companies will also adopt compliance measures to prevent future illegal coordination. New York will receive 4,968,000 eggs, all of which will be distributed through Feeding New York, the statewide network overseeing New York’s food banks. The first truckload of 280,800 eggs was delivered to City Harvest, and deliveries statewide will continue through mid‑October.

“Here in New York, we send price gougers scrambling — especially when they try to cheat the hard-working food banks and pantries that feed millions of families daily,” said New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. “Thanks to Attorney General James’ ‘crack’ down on egg price-gouging, fewer New Yorkers will go hungry, our food pantries can continue their essential work, and greed has once again been shown the door in our city.”

“While New Yorkers struggled to feed their families in an affordability crisis, some in the industry were scheming to keep prices and profits high," said New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams. "I am grateful to Attorney General James for her work in securing this settlement, and now, for helping bring tangible relief to those most in need through our food pantries. The accountability delivered through this case – and the egg deliveries over the next several months – will help families put food on the table.”

“New Yorkers are already facing an affordability crisis felt especially in their grocery bills, which is why artificially increasing the cost of a staple item like eggs is just plain cruel,” said New York City Comptroller Mark Levine. “Attorney General James has issued a warning with this settlement: anyone scheming to drain New Yorkers' wallets will be held accountable. I applaud her efforts in delivering unequivocal justice to those involved.”

“No family should have to choose between putting food on the table and paying the bills because of illegal price fixing,” said New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin. “At a time when too many New Yorkers are struggling with the rising cost of groceries, these eggs will help put nutritious food on the tables of families across our city. I thank Attorney General James for holding these companies accountable and ensuring New Yorkers benefit directly from this settlement.”

"No corporation should be allowed to profit at the expense of working families, especially when it comes to something as essential as putting food on the table," said Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson. "As the cost of living continues to strain household budgets, this investment will provide meaningful relief to families and further support the food banks and community partners that so many Bronx residents rely on. Thank you to Attorney General James and the multistate coalition for holding these companies accountable and ensuring that nutritious food reaches the communities that need it most."

"Eggs are a staple food for so many families, and as we tackle an affordability crisis, it is unconscionable that egg producers would coordinate to fix egg prices,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. “Thanks to Attorney General James for fiercely fighting against this corruption and for delivering not just a settlement of cash but also a settlement of eggs for City Harvest.”

"No family should have to pay more for a basic staple like eggs because of illegal price fixing,” said Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal. “At a time when New Yorkers are already struggling with the high cost of living, corporate collusion that drives up grocery bills is especially egregious. I commend Attorney General James for holding these companies accountable and ensuring nearly five million eggs will help feed New Yorkers instead of boosting corporate profits. This settlement sends a clear message: if you rig the market and squeeze working families, New York will hold you accountable." 

"With inflation on the rise, made worse by the federal government's reckless tariff policy and its launching of a pointless war overseas, working-class families here in Queens and across the country are feeling the squeeze, especially at the grocery store,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. “The last thing we need is a confederation of greedy corporations conspiring to price gouge us on an item as important as a carton of eggs. Thank you to Attorney General James for her work in breaking up this illegal price fixing ring, holding these corporations accountable and ensuring New York families in need can bring home cartons of eggs through their local food bank without paying obscenely high prices."

“Protein-rich foods like eggs are among the most requested items by our neighbors experiencing food insecurity,” said Feeding NYS Executive Director Elizabeth Cooper. “We are grateful for the opportunity to provide this high-quality source of nutrition to communities served by New York state's ten food banks, helping ensure families in every county have access to wholesome, nourishing food.” 

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

For New York, this matter was handled by Assistant Attorneys General Isabella Pitt and James Yoon, Senior Enforcement Counsel Michael D. Schwartz, and Legal Fellow Amanda McBain of the Antitrust Bureau, and with the assistance of Assistant Attorney General John P. Figura of the Consumer Frauds and Protection Bureau, under the supervision of Bureau Chief Elinor R. Hoffmann and Deputy Bureau Chief Amy McFarlane. The Antitrust Bureau is part of the Division of Economic Justice, overseen by Chief Deputy Attorney General Christopher D’Angelo and First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy.