US Egg Producers Conspired to Fix Prices From 2004 to 2008, Federal Jury Rules

US Egg Producers Conspired to Fix Prices From 2004 to 2008, Federal Jury Rules
Chickens stand in their cage at the Rose Acre Farms near Stuart, Iowa on Nov. 16, 2009. Charlie Neibergall/AP Photo
The Associated Press
Updated:
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INDIANAPOLIS—An Illinois jury ruled this week that several major egg producers conspired to limit the U.S.’s supply of eggs in order to raise prices in a case stemming from a federal lawsuit originally filed 12 years ago.

Several large food manufacturing companies including Kraft Foods Global, Inc. and The Kellogg Company alleged in the lawsuit originally filed in 2011 that producers used various means to limit the U.S. domestic supply of eggs to increase the prices of eggs and egg products during the 2000s. The time frame of the conspiracy was an issue throughout the case; jurors ultimately determined damages occurred between 2004–2008.