Two North Texas food banks will receive more than 1.6 million free eggs, following settlements over allegations that three major egg producers coordinated to inflate egg prices between 2022 and 2025.
Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Tuesday in a news release that the settlements will distribute 7 million eggs to 17 food banks across the state, with the North Texas Food Bank and the Tarrant Area Food Bank expected to receive 842,400 eggs each.
More than 1.7 million eggs have already been delivered in coordination with Feeding Texas, with more than 5 million expected to arrive in the coming weeks.
The free eggs are part of settlements over an “alleged conspiracy to inflate egg prices” from 2022 to 2025, according to a news release from Texas attorney general’s office. The three main egg producers involved are Cal-Maine Foods, Centrum/Versova and Hickman’s Egg Ranch, according to the release.
According to a statement from the North Texas Food Bank, all of the nonprofit’s deliveries have been scheduled.
One delivery has already been made, with two remaining deliveries expected Thursday and Sept. 16, according to the North Texas Food Bank.
Trisha Cunningham, North Texas Food Bank president and CEO, said in a statement the nonprofit is grateful that the eggs will help feed families across North Texas.
“Every day, our neighbors turn to us and our feeding network of 500 food pantries and organizations for support during difficult moments, and this distribution will provide a meaningful source of protein for households working hard to make ends meet,” Cunningham said.
The North Texas Food Bank previously received about 30,000 eggs after a different settlement with Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. That settlement was tied to a separate lawsuit filed by the Texas attorney general’s office over alleged price-gouging during the COVID-19 pandemic.