Egg price-fixing class action overview:
- Who: A New York-based supermarket chain, King Kullen Grocery filed a class action lawsuit against Cal-Maine Foods, Rose Acre Farms, Versova Holdings, Hillandale Farms, Daybreak Foods, Urner Barry Publications, Egg Clearinghouse and United Egg Producers.
- Why: King Kullen claims the egg producers and price reporting agencies conspired to fix the price of conventional eggs.
- Where: The egg price-fixing class action lawsuit was filed in Indiana federal court.
A new class action lawsuit claims egg producers and price reporting agencies conspired to fix the price of conventional eggs and falsely blamed rising prices on the nationwide bird flu outbreak to mask their alleged scheme.
King Kullen Grocery, a chain of supermarkets headquartered in New York state, claims the defendants conspired to fix the price of conventional — or non-free-range — eggs between Jan. 1, 2022, and March 2025.
According to the class action lawsuit, egg producers publicly attributed soaring prices to supply disruptions linked to the 2021–2022 bird flu outbreak, which resulted in the loss of millions of hens. However, King Kullen argues this explanation does not match industry data.
The egg price-fixing class action lawsuit names the following egg producers as defendants:
- Cal-Maine Foods
- Rose Acre Farms
- Versova Holdings
- Hillandale Farms of PA
- Hillandale-Gettysburg
- Hillandale Farms East
- Hillandale Farms
- Daybreak Foods.
Price reporting agencies Urner Barry Publications, Egg Clearinghouse and United Egg Producers are also named as defendants in the complaint.
The class action lawsuit alleges that egg producers supplied selective or misleading pricing information to these agencies, enabling them to coordinate elevated price benchmarks while publicly attributing the spikes to bird flu.
King Kullen argues the defendants’ alleged conspiracy to fix the price of conventional eggs was exposed in March 2025 when the U.S. Department of Justice announced it was investigating the egg industry for price fixing.
The class action lawsuit notes that shortly after the DOJ probe became public, wholesale egg prices dropped more than 60% — a shift the lawsuit says further undermines the bird flu justification.
The plaintiff claims the defendants’ alleged conspiracy led to a surge in the price of conventional eggs during the class period that cannot be attributed to an outbreak of bird flu or an increase in input costs.
The egg pricing class action lawsuit highlights that feed and fuel costs actually fell during this period, and compares the U.S. to Europe, which saw an even larger bird flu–related supply loss but only modest price increases, to illustrate how the flu alone does not explain the dramatic U.S. spike.
“Defendants’ manipulation of the Urner Barry benchmark allowed them to sustain ever-increasing price hikes on their customers,” the egg price-fixing class action lawsuit says.
Lawsuit: Egg producers and price reporting agencies conspired to fix conventional egg prices
The egg price-fixing class action lawsuit argues the defendants were able to implement price increases and collectively raise prices because the egg industry is “structurally susceptible to collusion.”
Without a regulated public exchange for egg prices, the industry allegedly relied on publications such as Urner Barry and the Egg Clearinghouse to coordinate expectations and validate elevated pricing — all while publicly citing bird flu as the rationale, according to the class action lawsuit.
King Kullen argues the defendants’ alleged conspiracy caused members of the proposed class to pay “supracompetitive” prices for conventional eggs during the class period.
The plaintiff claims the defendants are guilty of violating federal antitrust laws and common law. King Kullen demands a jury trial and requests declaratory and injunctive relief and an award of compensatory, treble and/or punitive damages for itself and all class members.
Meanwhile, Black Sheep Egg Company announced a recall of its Free Range Large Grade A Brown Eggs, sold in 12- and 18-count cartons, due to potential Salmonella contamination affecting eggs with Best By dates from Aug. 22 through Oct. 31, 2025.
Were you affected by the alleged collusion described in this egg price-fixing class action lawsuit? Let us know in the comments.
The plaintiff is represented by Irwin B. Levin, Scott D. Gilchrist and Edward B. Mulligan V of CohenMalad LLP; Gregory S. Asciolla, Alexander E. Barnett and Jonathan S. Crevier of DiCello Levitt LLP; David E. Kovel, Thomas W. Elrod, Lauren Wands, James Isacks and Robert J. Gralewski Jr. of Kirby McInerney LLP; and Heidi M. Silton, Jessica N. Servais and Joseph C. Bourne of Lockridge Grindal Nauen PLLP.
The egg price-fixing class action lawsuit is King Kullen Grocery Co. Inc. v. Cal-Maine Foods Inc., et al., Case No. 1:25-cv-02274-JMS-MJD, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana.
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