Restauranteur Sues US Egg Industry Over Price Fixing

Steve Ribbing, a restaurateur from Buffalo, is suing the US egg industry over claims of price-fixing.

The litigation's targets include 13 of the nation's biggest egg producers, including Cal-Maine Foods, Pilgrim's Pride and Rose Acre Farms, as well as a Georgia-based industry association, the United Egg Producers.

The average retail price of a dozen eggs, which had been stable in the US for the better part of a decade, soared to $2.20 per dozen in March, after climbing from $1.63 in 2007 and $1.30 in 2006, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Egg producers blame the increase on surging feed and fuel costs, although prices have retreated 15% since March, to $1.85 per dozen.

The producers being sued all belong to the United Egg Producers cooperative, which in 2000 enacted an Animal Care Certified Program to improve hens' conditions by giving them more space in cages. Plaintiffs say the program was designed solely to lift egg prices by curtailing egg supplies.