Tong says egg producers rigged the system for higher profits
William TongConnecticut attorney general
Tong accuses major egg producers of rigging prices and says the settlement will return money and eggs to communities.
“These massive egg producers rigged the system to jack up profits, and all of us paid for it.”
Official statement
Official statement
Original text
Where this statement fits
Did Cal-Maine and other egg producers manipulate egg-price benchmarks?
The Justice Department and 17 states allege that major egg producers coordinated bids to inflate Urner Barry price quotations. Cal-Maine denies wrongdoing and says its communications did not affect egg prices. The filed complaint and proposed settlement do not resolve the disputed facts by trial.
Source and context
Official statement
About this source
Tong describes the state and federal investigation and criticizes the alleged manipulation. The release announces a settlement rather than a trial verdict.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Official statement
About this source
Cal-Maine denies unlawful conduct and price effects while agreeing to compliance measures, egg donations and payments to states, subject to approvals.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Original text
About this source
The proposed consent judgment states that the parties consent without a trial, adjudication or admission. It is not an entered finding of liability.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Tong announced the joint state and federal settlement with three egg producers.
After the quotation
Tong also describes state enforcement and planned food-bank donations. Cal-Maine denies wrongdoing, and the proposed judgment contains no admission.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is the alleged agreement to manipulate egg prices. Tong directly criticizes that agreement as a system rigged for profit. His support for enforcement is a response to the alleged conduct.
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More from this case
Read the full caseAssefi says the egg producers stopped competing and were coordinating
“They reach a point where they no longer want to compete, and they’re coordinating to ensure outcomes that benefit all of them and then don’t benefit the consumer,”Read statement
Lincicome questions the economic importance of alleged egg-price coordination
“That doesn’t mean necessarily that there wasn’t illegal behavior going on, but not economically important behavior.”Read statement
Woodward says DOJ must step in when it sees commodity-market manipulation
“The manipulation of prices in the commodities market is not a novel concept anymore, and it is incumbent upon the department when it sees the manipulation of commodity markets to step in,”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Tong says egg producers rigged the system for higher profits". First published: 2026-10-20. Last updated: 2026-10-20. https://disputeindex.com/events/6088-tong-accuses-major-egg-producers-of-rigging-prices