Farm Action is a farmer-led watchdog organization that investigates corporate abuses in our food system, holds corporations and government accountable, and exposes how concentrated market power harms farmers, workers, consumers, and rural communities.
There is perhaps no better example of how we work than our investigation into the egg industry.
When egg prices more than doubled beginning in late 2022, Americans were told there was a simple explanation: avian flu had reduced the egg supply. But when our team looked closely at the data, the numbers didn’t add up.
Our research questioned the dominant narrative, brought national attention to the issue, helped spur a federal antitrust investigation, and was reflected in the government’s own allegations.
Here’s how we work:
Monitor the Market
We examine industry data, corporate financial statements, government reports, and market trends to identify situations where dominant corporations may be abusing their market power.
That’s exactly what happened in the egg industry. Beginning in late 2022, grocery store egg prices soared. Industry leaders largely blamed avian flu and supply disruptions. Our team dug deeper.
We found that while egg production had declined, the drop was not large enough to explain the unprecedented increase in prices. At the same time, dominant egg companies were reporting extraordinary profits.
Cal-Maine Foods, the nation’s largest egg producer, reported dramatically higher profit margins while its production costs increased only modestly. The numbers simply didn’t add up.
In January 2023, Farm Action sent a detailed letter urging federal antitrust enforcers to investigate potential anticompetitive conduct in the egg industry.
Change the Narrative
When we uncover evidence of potential corporate abuse, we bring it to the public.
Farm Action challenged the widespread belief that avian flu alone explained record egg prices. We explained why market concentration deserved closer scrutiny and why dominant corporations should not automatically receive the benefit of the doubt when prices and profits diverge so dramatically.
Our work reached millions of Americans through coverage by the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Bloomberg, ABC, CNBC, The Guardian, CNN, Today Show, and more—as well as a profile in the Washington Post.
Farm Action’s letter calling for an investigation into potential price gouging was featured on the Today Show.
Importantly, we kept farmers at the center of the story. While consumers were paying record prices, Farm Action documented that one Cal-Maine contract farming family was being paid just 26 cents per dozen eggs. The farmers raising the eggs were not sharing in the industry’s record profits.
Hold Government Accountable
Farm Action continued pressing for action. We sent a second letter to federal antitrust enforcers in February 2025 after continued market analysis raised additional concerns. Three weeks later, the U.S. Department of Justice opened an investigation into the egg industry.
In June 2026, the Justice Department and 17 state attorneys general filed a civil lawsuit against Cal-Maine Foods, Hickman’s Egg Ranch, and Versova. DOJ said the companies illegally worked together to push egg prices higher.
According to DOJ, the companies coordinated bids to influence Urner Barry, a price reporting service used across the egg industry. When Urner Barry’s benchmark price goes up, grocery stores, restaurants, and other buyers pay more for eggs. Those higher costs can then reach consumers.
Under the proposed settlement, the companies agreed to pay a combined $3.3 million, donate 53 million eggs to food banks and nonprofit organizations, adopt antitrust compliance programs, appoint compliance officers, cooperate with government oversight, and stop communicating with competitors in ways that could manipulate egg prices.
Farm Action welcomed the government’s action as confirmation that the egg price spike deserved scrutiny, but warned that the settlement falls short of meaningful accountability.
Continue Following the Evidence
The egg investigation demonstrates what Farm Action does every day. We follow the data wherever it leads. We ask difficult questions when the numbers don’t make sense. We bring evidence to the public, policymakers, and enforcement agencies. And we continue pushing for accountability when dominant corporations abuse their power.
The egg case is one example of how independent research, persistent investigation, and public accountability can help expose corporate misconduct and strengthen our food system.
