Cal-Maine Foods Reaches Resolution Over DOJ Egg Pricing Probe

By Kimberley Kao

Cal-Maine Foods Inc. has reached a settlement with the U.S. Justice Department and various state Attorneys General after a probe over its egg pricing.

The 15-month federal investigation looked into allegations the company and other egg producers coordinated pricing through an information service that benchmarks prices for the industry.

"Cal-Maine was not assessed any fines or penalties and has agreed to implement certain compliance and reporting measures," the company said Monday.

As part of the settlement, Cal-Maine will donate 30 million eggs with respect to claims by 17 states' attorneys general, and will also pay a total of $1.5 million to those states to resolve this matter, it said.

"The Company denies all wrongdoing and violations of law and continues to believe that such claims are baseless and that its conduct was lawful, appropriate and in the best interest of supplying eggs to the marketplace," it said.

The Justice Department has been investigating the egg market since early in the Trump administration, when prices skyrocketed following an egg shortage that producers attributed to the worst outbreak of avian flu in American history.

Industry officials say the egg-price spike in the spring of 2025--when prices hit a record high of over $6 a dozen--followed from companies' inability to keep up with rebuilding their flocks amid ongoing avian flu outbreaks and panic-buying by retailers and restaurants eager to secure egg supplies.

Write to Kimberley Kao at kimberley.kao@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

June 29, 2026 23:48 ET (03:48 GMT)