Attorney General Ken Paxton Secures Over 7 Million Free Eggs For Texans as Part of Antitrust Settlement with Country’s Largest Egg Producers

Attorney General Ken Paxton has secured antitrust settlements with three major national egg producers—Cal-Maine Foods, Centrum/Versova, and Hickman’s Egg Ranch—following allegations of a conspiracy to artificially inflate egg prices between 2022 and 2025. The investigation, conducted in coordination with the U.S. Department of Justice and several other states, revealed that the companies manipulated industry price benchmarks to increase costs for consumers.

As part of the settlement, the companies will donate over 53 million eggs to food banks and community organizations across the involved states, with 7 million eggs specifically designated for Texas. Additionally, the companies will pay a total of $3.3 million to the states. To prevent future misconduct, the settlement mandates that the companies implement safeguards and appoint compliance officers to oversee adherence to the agreement and report any violations to the Office of the Attorney General and the U.S. Department of Justice.

This legal action is part of a broader initiative by Attorney General Paxton to combat anticompetitive behavior in the agricultural sector and protect Texas consumers from price gouging. This recent victory follows previous successful actions against companies like Cal-Maine Foods and Agri Stats, Inc., aimed at ensuring fair pricing in the food industry.

(Source：The Post Newspaper)