Attorney General Tong and Connecticut Foodshare Announce Start of Distribution of 1.5 Million Free Eggs After Attorneys General Stop Illegal Cartel

10/14/2026

(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong and Connecticut Foodshare President and CEO Jason Jakubowski today announced the start of distribution of 1.5 million free eggs following a legal settlement that ended a long-running illegal scheme to manipulate egg prices.

Attorney General Tong and a bipartisan coalition of 16 other states announced in June a $3.3 million settlement with three of the nation’s largest egg producers, Cal-Maine Foods, Versova/Centrum, and Hickman’s Egg Ranch, resolving a joint state-federal investigation into illegal coordination that artificially increased egg prices. As part of that settlement, the producers must deliver 53 million eggs to food pantries and community service organizations nationwide.

Connecticut expects to receive its 1.5 million eggs over the course of the next several months. The first shipments arrived at Connecticut Foodshare this month.
Connecticut Foodshare is managing the distribution of Connecticut’s egg share. Foodshare works with a network of over 450 agency partners, including food pantries, community kitchens, and shelters. Those agency partners will be able to request the eggs as part of their scheduled pick-up or delivery. Additionally, eggs may be available through Foodshare mobile pantries at 113 locations across Connecticut.

Connecticut families may locate a mobile pantry in their area by texting FOODSHARE to 85511 or visiting https://mobilefoodpantry.ctfoodshare.org/.
“Egg producers rigged the system to jack up their profits, and Connecticut families paid for it. We stopped them, and now we’re delivering relief to those who need it most. I want to thank Foodshare for stepping up to get these eggs out into our communities, and for the vital work they do every day to fight hunger across Connecticut,” said Attorney General Tong.

“We’re grateful to Attorney General Tong and the coalition of attorneys general for holding these companies accountable and helping turn this settlement into meaningful support for our neighbors facing food insecurity,” said Jason Jakubowski, President and CEO of Connecticut Foodshare. “Eggs are always in high demand across our network because they’re a versatile, nutritious source of protein. This distribution will help us get more of this much-needed food to communities across Connecticut and support families facing challenges putting food on the table.”

Investigation Background

A bipartisan multistate investigation with the U.S. Department of Justice revealed that Cal-Maine Foods, Versova, and Hickman’s illegally coordinated for years to influence a daily price index for eggs, which artificially increased prices for retailers and consumers throughout the country.

From approximately June 2022 to March 2025, the investigation revealed that egg producers secretly communicated with each other to coordinate their bidding activity and influence the daily egg price quotes published by Urner Barry, a benchmark pricing service widely used in egg supply contracts. For example, in December 2022, Hickman’s CEO emailed Versova and Cal-Maine executives urging them to submit “strong bids, early and often” to push prices higher. All three companies then submitted dozens of bids at higher prices, which led to Urner Barry increasing its price quotes. By manipulating the Urner Barry benchmark, the companies artificially inflated the price of eggs paid by retailers and consumers across the nation.

Under the settlement, all three companies must end their illegal coordination to manipulate prices, adopt compliance measures to prevent future violations, and fully cooperate with oversight by the states. The companies must designate antitrust compliance officers who will monitor for violations of the settlement and report violations to the states and DOJ.

In addition to the 53 million donated eggs, the companies will also pay a combined $3.3 million to the states. Connecticut will receive $95,686.
Joining Attorney General Tong and DOJ in securing this settlement were the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

Food Insecurity in Connecticut

Across Connecticut, 1 in 7 people do not have reliable access to affordable and nutritious food and are considered food insecure. That includes one in five children, totaling over 137,000 kids statewide. Since 2020, the food insecure population has increased by 54 percent.

During the 2026 fiscal year, Foodshare supplied the equivalent of 44.9 million meals across Connecticut.

Assistant Attorneys General Rose Levine and Amy Taylor and Deputy Associate Attorney General Nicole Demers, Chief of the Antitrust Section assisted the Attorney General in this matter.

Twitter: @AGWilliamTong

Facebook: CT Attorney General

Media Contact:

Elizabeth Benton
elizabeth.benton@ct.gov

Consumer Inquiries:

860-808-5318
attorney.general@ct.gov

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