Texas Food Banks To Receive More Than 7 Million Eggs After Antitrust Settlement

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced that, following a June settlement with three major egg producers, more than 7 million eggs will be distributed free to 17 food banks across the state. The settlement also requires the companies to pay a combined $3.3 million to participating states.

Settlement Details

The agreement involves Cal‑Maine Foods, Centrum/Versova and Hickman’s Egg Ranch. The Department of Justice originally raised antitrust concerns during the prior administration, and state investigators say the companies coordinated bids that influenced daily industry price benchmarks from 2022 through 2025.

How The Price Allegations Worked

Investigators allege executives coordinated repeated, aggressive bids that led industry price reporter Urner Barry to raise its published egg price quotes. According to the Attorney General's Office, this benchmark manipulation artificially increased the cost consumers paid for eggs in Texas.

“I will continue to help our families put food on the table and do everything within my power to lower prices and help Texans who are struggling to make ends meet.” — AG Ken Paxton

Distribution Plan

The donated eggs will be allocated among 17 food banks statewide to reach urban and rural communities from El Paso to Beaumont and Amarillo to Corpus Christi. Individual allocations range from 140,400 to 1,544,400 eggs. Key allocations include:

• Houston Food Bank: 1,544,400 eggs (largest share)
• North Texas Food Bank (Plano): 842,400 eggs
• Tarrant Area Food Bank (Fort Worth): 842,400 eggs
• Central Texas Food Bank (Austin): 561,600 eggs
• Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley (Pharr): 561,600 eggs
• East Texas Food Bank (Tyler): 280,800 eggs
• San Antonio Food Bank: 464,600 eggs
• South Texas Food Bank (Laredo): 280,800 eggs

Smaller but meaningful allocations will go to communities including Victoria, Wichita Falls and Lubbock.

Why This Matters

Eggs are a common, affordable source of protein used in breakfasts, school meals, baking and many low-cost recipes. When benchmark prices are allegedly inflated, the impact falls directly on consumers—especially lower-income households that have little flexibility in their grocery budgets. Food banks also feel the squeeze when wholesale prices rise and demand for assistance grows.

While the donation of more than 7 million eggs will not erase broader economic pressures, it returns some direct value to communities the state says were harmed by the alleged price manipulation and underscores how corporate pricing practices can affect household budgets and public trust.