I love a good egg. Poached, scrambled, sunny side up. Eggs are my go-to side dish, especially when I am not sure what to cook for dinner.
But for a while the price of eggs was skyrocketing. And alas for me and other Americans, eggs became a luxury rather than a staple. I found myself having to ration out my eggs.
While many experts said the high price of eggs was due to simple supply and demand economics due to the avian flu, it turns out it might not have all been down to market demand.
According to allegations by the U.S. Department of Justice, several companies may have in fact manipulated the high cost of eggs.
Eggs as an inflation gauge
Egg prices have long been used as a way to gauge inflation, the same way that the price of bread and milk might be used. That’s because egg prices are considered a core part of the American diet and a staple in many households.
Even politicians on both sides of the aisle have used eggs to talk about politics and the cost-of-living crisis in the last few years.
How much have egg prices gone up?
- According to a review of data from the Federal Reserve, the average price of a dozen eggs peaked in March 2025 at an astonishing $6.23.
- Prices of eggs started rising in 2022, reaching $4.82 in January 2023.
- Although the price of egg cartons fell soon after, they started to increase almost immediately.
- Today, the average price of a dozen eggs will set you back $2.19. While it’s still less than $6, it’s still above post-Covid prices.
But the egg price surge from 2022 to 2025 may not have been because of the avian flu.
The U.S. Department of Justice alleges that several companies may have inflated the price of eggs, potentially costing American consumers millions of dollars.
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How egg pricing actually works
Egg producers sell their goods to grocery stores and restaurants. They may also bid to get eggs on spot markets, such as the Egg Clearinghouse.
Market pricing firm Urner Barry uses this info to determine the demand for eggs and sets a daily quote price. This sets wholesale prices, which ultimately determines what you and I might pay for our side of eggs and bacon.
This is usually how the egg market works. But the U.S. Department of Justice alleges egg producers Cal-Maine Foods, Hickman’s Egg Ranch, Centrum Valley, and Versova worked together to artificially inflate egg prices.
How the DOJ says egg prices may have been manipulated
- According to a proposed settlement, the DOJ alleges Cal-Maine Foods, Hickman’s Egg Ranch, Centrum Valley, and Versova agreed to submit a large number of bids on the spot market.
- This bidding then signaled to Urner Barry that there was a great demand for eggs.
- The companies would then allegedly submit a large number of bids in the hours leading up to when Urner Barry sets prices.
- These bids were unlikely to lead to executed trades, which allowed the egg producers to execute trades a premium, the DOJ claims.
The DOJ wants the egg companies to abide by antitrust measures and to pay up for potentially profiting from the alleged egg manipulation scheme.
Egg settlement reached with DOJ
The DOJ and 17 states and three egg producers – Cal-Maine Foods, Hickman’s Egg Ranch and Versova – have reached a settlement deal.
Under the proposed settlement – which still needs to be approved by the courts – the companies would pay a total of $3.3 million and donate 53 million eggs, which would go to food banks, Fortune reported.
No product more quintessentially represents affordability than the price Americans pay for eggs.
“These actions prove this Department’s continued commitment to protecting competition and providing real relief for everyday Americans’ pocketbooks,” Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward said in a statement.
The companies have not admitted any wrongdoing.
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Cal-Maine Foods said in a statement that the claims were baseless. Its CEO, Sherman Millar, said the period that the DOJ reviewed was particularly challenging for the firm, as it dealt with the avian flu, Covid, weather, and other market conditions.
Still, in 2025, Cal-Maine Foods reported a profit of $1.22 billion, according to financial reports.
Meanwhile, Versova pointed to the toll of the avian flu and cost fluctuations from grain, while Hickman’s owner, Mantiqueira USA, said the claims happened before it acquired the egg producer in November 2025, Fortune reported.
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