FLORIDA FOOD BANKS GET 5.67 MILLION EGGS FROM PRICE-FIXING LAWSUIT

• Florida is receiving 5.67 million eggs for food banks as part of a nationwide price-fixing lawsuit settlement.
• The lawsuit alleged three major egg producers coordinated to artificially inflate egg prices.
• The eggs are being distributed at no cost to needy families through Feeding Florida's network across all 67 counties.

Florida food banks and needy families are getting more eggs — 5.67 million of them — thanks to a nationwide settlement in an egg price-fixing lawsuit.

“Eggs are a breakfast staple, not a luxury,” Attorney General James Uthmeier said in a Sept. 2 release. “When the price of a carton goes up, working families feel it every week at the checkout line.

"Today 5.67 million eggs are moving to food banks and pantries in every Florida county—at no cost to households, food banks, or taxpayers. That is affordability you can measure.”

Here's what to know.

Why is Florida getting 5.67 million eggs?

In June, the U.S. Department of Justice and a bipartisan coalition of 17 state attorneys general, including Florida's, sued three companies (Cal-Maine Foods Inc., Hickman’s Egg Ranch Inc., and Versova) over alleged coordinated manipulation of egg prices.

The complaint alleged that the companies, which all sell or provide eggs and also bid to acquire them on spot markets, coordinated bids on the Egg Clearinghouse Inc. timed to artificially drive up quotations from Urner Barry, which provides market reports on red meat, poultry, eggs, and seafood. Those reports affects daily price quotes and what grocers, and ultimately, customers, pay for the products nationwide

"Under the settlement, producers will donate 53 million Grade A large eggs to food banks in the 17 participating states and will pay the states a combined $3.3 million," Uthmeier said. "Florida families will receive 5.67 million eggs—472,500 dozen, or 21 truckloads—at no cost to households, food banks, or taxpayers.

"Florida will also receive a monetary payment of $348,490 for antitrust enforcement and consumer protection."

Each company must also designate an antitrust compliance officer, and the settlement includes "five years of rules designed to keep grocery egg prices honest going forward," Uthmeier said.

Where are the eggs going?

Florida's share of the eggs, provided by Cal-Maine Foods, is being distributed through Feeding Florida’s nine affiliate food banks, which work with more than 2,400 partner agencies in all 67 counties, Uthmeier said.

The 21 truckloads are going to:

• Feeding South Florida — 5 truckloads (Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Palm Beach)
• Feeding Tampa Bay — 4 truckloads (Citrus, Hardee, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Sumter)
• Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida — 4 truckloads (Brevard, Lake, Marion, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Volusia)
• Second Harvest of the Big Bend — 2 truckloads (Calhoun, Columbia, Dixie, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Hamilton, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Suwannee, Taylor, Wakulla)
• Feeding Northeast Florida — 2 truckloads (Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Levy, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Union)
• All Faiths Food Bank — 1 truckload (DeSoto, Sarasota)
• Feeding the Gulf Coast — 1 truckload (Bay, Escambia, Holmes, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Walton, Washington)
• Harry Chapin Food Bank — 1 truckload (Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry, Lee)
• Treasure Coast Food Bank — 1 truckload (Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee, St. Lucie)

The other eggs are going to food banks in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

When will Florida food banks get free eggs?

"By the end of today, all nine of our Feeding Florida food banks will have received their entire allocation of the 5.7 million eggs,” Robin Safley, CEO of Feeding Florida, said in the Sept. 2 release.

“They have been delivering the eggs into communities through our vast network since the beginning of August. When organizations across Florida work together, we can take opportunities like this one and move them through the right channels to make a real difference in the lives of the people we serve."

C. A. Bridges is a journalist for the USA TODAY Network-Florida's service journalism Connect team. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY.

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