The Department of Justice and over a dozen states reached a settlement with three major egg producers—Cal-Maine Foods, Versova/Centrum, and Hickman's Egg Ranch—over allegations they conspired to artificially inflate egg prices between June 2022 and March 2025. Under the agreement, the companies must donate 53 million eggs to food banks and pay $3.3 million to states. The companies deny wrongdoing, citing avian flu and market conditions as drivers of price volatility.