Charlotte Food Bank Receives Nearly 300,000 Eggs Delivery Following Attorney General Jackson’s Settlement in Antitrust Case
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, September 8, 2026
Contact: comms@ncdoj.gov
919-538-2809
RALEIGH — Today, Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina in Charlotte received 270,000 eggs as part of Attorney General Jeff Jackson’s settlement with three of the nation’s largest egg producers over allegations that they violated antitrust laws and worked together to raise egg prices.
“When companies break the law and drive-up costs, we’re going to hold them accountable,” said Attorney General Jeff Jackson. “This settlement provides food banks with millions of eggs for North Carolina families who need them most, and makes sure that these companies can’t work together to illegally raise egg prices again.”
“We appreciate the work of Attorney General Jeff Jackson and his office to reach this settlement,” said Kay Carter, CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina. “The effort to secure this egg donation to North Carolina food banks as a foundational piece of the settlement will directly benefit our food insecure neighbors across North Carolina. Fresh protein is the most requested item, and these eggs directly support our mission to ‘feed more people better food’ in the communities we serve.”
The North Carolina Department of Justice has partnered with Feeding the Carolinas to distribute the eggs to food banks across the state. Attorney General Jeff Jackson previously joined food bank leaders for deliveries in Raleigh and Winston-Salem. Today, Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina received 270,000 eggs, with five more deliveries planned across the state this month.
In June, Attorney General Jackson, 16 other bipartisan attorneys general, and the United States Department of Justice (USDOJ) reached the settlement with the three egg producers Cal-Maine, Hickman’s Family Farms, and Versova. The settlement resolves allegations that the producers violated the Sherman Antitrust Act. Large buyers, including grocery stores and restaurants, typically purchase eggs at prices tied to industry benchmarks, which can affect the prices consumers pay. The three producers allegedly worked together from 2022 to 2025 to share information and coordinate bidding to manipulate the key benchmark and artificially raise egg prices.
As part of the settlement, the companies will donate about 50 million eggs to food banks across the United States. They are also required to end their illegal coordination to manipulate price benchmarks, adopt compliance measures to prevent future violations, and cooperate with oversight by the states. Additionally, they are required to designate compliance officers who will report any settlement violated to the states and the USDOJ.
Attorney General Jackson was joined in reaching the settlement by the USDOJ, and the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and Wisconsin.
###
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
