Attorney General James Uthmeier Announces 5.67 Million Eggs for Florida Families

Courtesy of the Office of the Attorney General

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.-Attorney General James Uthmeier announced affordability relief for Florida families with the delivery of 5.67 million Grade A eggs to food banks and pantries serving every county in the state. The eggs are Florida's share of a nationwide settlement that returns a breakfast staple to families who felt rising prices at the checkout line.

"Eggs are a breakfast staple, not a luxury," said Attorney General James Uthmeier. "When the price of a carton goes up, working families feel it every week at the checkout line. Today 5.67 million eggs are moving to food banks and pantries in every Florida county-at no cost to households, food banks, or taxpayers. That is affordability you can measure."

"It's an honor to partner with Feeding Florida and our food banks to provide healthy farm-grown products to Floridians," said Commissioner Wilton Simpson. "Having that existing structure in place helps us to get these eggs from the settlement into the hands of those who need them most. I thank Attorney General Uthmeier for his work on this issue and for allowing us to be a part of it."

"By the end of today, all nine of our Feeding Florida food banks will have received their entire allocation of the 5.7 million eggs," said Robin Safley, CEO of Feeding Florida. "They have been delivering the eggs into communities through our vast network since the beginning of August. When organizations across Florida work together, we can take opportunities like this one and move them through the right channels to make a real difference in the lives of the people we serve."

The eggs come from a settlement following a joint investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice and a bipartisan coalition of 17 state attorneys general, including Florida. The states examined how daily price quotations published by market reporter Urner Barry affect what grocers-and families-pay for eggs and whether Urner Barry was manipulated by certain egg producers. The vast majority of conventional eggs sold by egg producers nationwide are tied to that benchmark. When that number climbs, breakfast costs more. Florida joined the matter in December 2025. The complaint was filed June 30, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa as United States et al. v. Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. et al..

Under the settlement, producers will donate 53 million Grade A large eggs to food banks in the 17 participating states and will pay the states a combined $3.3 million. Florida families will receive 5.67 million eggs-472,500 dozen, or 21 truckloads-at no cost to households, food banks, or taxpayers. Florida will also receive a monetary payment of $348,490 for antitrust enforcement and consumer protection.

Cal-Maine Foods is providing Florida's eggs given the company's operations in the state. The producers must cover storage, freight, shipping, handling, and delivery. Deliveries began in late July and will conclude this week.

The eggs are being distributed through Feeding Florida's nine affiliate food banks, which work with more than 2,400 partner agencies and serve all 67 counties. Attorney General Uthmeier is joined in today's announcement by Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson and Farmers Feeding Florida.

The 21 truckloads are allocated as follows:

• Feeding South Florida - 5 truckloads (Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Palm Beach)
• Feeding Tampa Bay - 4 truckloads (Citrus, Hardee, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Sumter)
• Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida - 4 truckloads (Brevard, Lake, Marion, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Volusia)
• Second Harvest of the Big Bend - 2 truckloads (Calhoun, Columbia, Dixie, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Hamilton, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Suwannee, Taylor, Wakulla)
• Feeding Northeast Florida - 2 truckloads (Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Levy, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Union)
• All Faiths Food Bank - 1 truckload (DeSoto, Sarasota)
• Feeding the Gulf Coast - 1 truckload (Bay, Escambia, Holmes, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Walton, Washington)
• Harry Chapin Food Bank - 1 truckload (Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry, Lee)
• Treasure Coast Food Bank - 1 truckload (Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee, St. Lucie)

The settlement also includes five years of rules designed to keep grocery egg prices honest going forward. Bidding and trading decisions must be grounded in legitimate business needs. Each company must designate an antitrust compliance officer. Government agencies retain the right to inspect records and interview personnel.

Joining Attorney General Uthmeier and the Department of Justice in the coalition are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

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