CHICAGO, July 8, 2026 —The U.S. Department of Justice and 17 states have filed a lawsuit against five major egg suppliers for allegedly inflating prices by falsely reporting what distributors, food-away-from-home outlets and supermarkets were willing to pay for the kitchen staple.
The complaint filed in a federal court alleges that the defendants agreed among themselves to flood a pricing-guide publisher with false reports of what was being bid for their eggs. Urner Barry Publications factors the reported bids into the prevailing prices it publishes daily as guidelines for egg-buying foodservice facilities, distributors and grocers. The reports calculate what egg buyers will need to pay to buy eggs at market value.
According to the plaintiffs, the defendants agreed among themselves to flood Urner Barry with bids aimed at raising what the publisher advised subscribers to offer for their egg supplies.
In some instances, Justice said, the suppliers reported bids they knew were not genuine offers. They also coordinated their reports to Urner Barry to suggest demand for eggs was surging, an assertion that indicated prices would have to be raised to keep pace, the Department’s Antitrust Division asserted.
As alleged proof of the collusion, Justice noted how egg prices dropped precipitously after the plaintiffs learned in late March that they were being investigated. The assertion suggests the plaintiffs dropped their inflationary efforts out of fear of being caught.
The egg suppliers named in the suit are Cal-Maine Foods, Hickman’s Egg Ranch, Centrum Valley Holdings, Versova Holdings and Versova Management Cooperative.
The companies could not be reached prior to publication.
Justice said it has negotiated settlements with the suppliers to ensure they won’t indulge in the alleged price manipulation again. The lawsuit seeks approval of the settlements from the court hearing the case, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa.
Egg prices soared in 2025, with a sharp decrease in supply usually cited as the reason. Whole domestic flocks of chickens had to be destroyed because of possible contamination with avian flu.
The price became a political issue, with Democrats citing the cost of eggs as a prime example of how grocery bills were soaring beyond what many families could afford.
U.S. President and Republican Party leader Donald Trump countered that the cries of unaffordability were mere politicking by Democrats—an effort to make the Republican administration look bad.
The states joining Justice in the legal action are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Wisconsin.