The US’s largest egg producer, Cal-Maine, has reported a significant increase in profits amid record-high prices due to avian flu and alleged price-fixing. The company’s profits have more than tripled compared to the same quarter last year and are nearly eight times as high as at the start of the bird flu outbreak in February 2022.
Cal-Maine produces 20% of the eggs eaten in the US and has made $1bn in windfall income in the first three-quarters of the financial year. Consumer prices have hit a record high, with eggs now costing $5.90 a dozen – almost twice the price of eggs just 12 months earlier.
The investigation into alleged price-fixing by Cal-Maine and other major egg corporations has led to a significant decline in the company’s shares, which fell by over 4% after the announcement. The company is cooperating with the investigation and claims it was notified last month.
Amanda Starbuck, research director at Food & Water Watch, believes corporate greed is contributing to the high egg prices, stating that “big ag” is using the crisis as a cover to reap record-high profits. She calls on President Trump to take action against food monopolies exploiting pandemic threats for profit.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/09/doj-egg-prices-rise-cal-maine-profits