A jury has found that U.S. egg producers conspired to fix prices from 2004 to 2008

A jury has found that U.S. egg producers conspired to fix prices from 2004 to 2008, per MW.

Read full article: https://apnews.com/article/egg-producers-price-gouging-lawsuit-conspiracy-8cd455003a3a40bab74d0f046d0f2c9d

This week, an Illinois jury reached a verdict in a federal lawsuit filed 12 years ago, ruling that major egg producers conspired to restrict the U.S. egg supply, leading to increased prices. The lawsuit, initiated in 2011 by large food manufacturing companies, including Kraft Foods Global, Inc. and The Kellogg Company, alleged that egg producers employed various methods to limit the domestic egg supply during the 2000s, aiming to raise prices.

The jury, determining damages occurred between 2004-2008, delivered a unanimous verdict in the Northern District of Illinois. The damages will be decided in a trial scheduled for next week. The implicated suppliers include the family company of an Indiana egg farmer currently running for the U.S. Senate in the state. Attorneys for the egg suppliers named in the lawsuit have not yet responded. The jury found that the egg producers exported eggs to decrease the domestic market's overall supply, employing measures such as limiting the number of chickens through cage space, early slaughter, and flock reduction.

The verdict holds egg producers Cal-Maine Foods and Rose Acre Farms, alongside United Egg Producers and United States Egg Marketers, accountable for conspiring to inflate egg prices. Brandon Fox, an attorney for the food manufacturers, expressed satisfaction with the decision, highlighting that the defendants are now held liable for antitrust violations. The damages phase of the case is set to follow. The jury considered the timeframe of 2004 to 2008, explicitly instructed not to factor in more recent egg pricing during deliberations.