Cal-Maine Meals, Rose Acre Farms, United Egg Producers and United States Egg Entrepreneurs have been ordered to pay $17.7 million to the plaintiffs in a lawsuit that alleged the defendants participated in a conspiracy to restrict the provision and drive up the price of eggs.
The choice was reached on December 1 by a jury in a federal courtroom in Illinois, in response to a Law360 report. That identical jury on November 21 dominated that the 2 largest egg producers in the US and the 2 business organizations took half in a conspiracy to limit provide between October 2004 and December 2008
The case is Kraft Meals International Inc. et al. v. United Egg Producers Inc. et al., Case No. 1:11-cv-880.
The swimsuit was filed on behalf of Kraft Heinz Co. subsidiary Normal Mills Inc., Kellogg Co. and Nestle, with the case being filed in 2011. The businesses asserted that they seemingly overpaid for eggs due to the conspiracy that they alleged occurred.
Following the November 21 resolution, Cal-Maine Meals issued a assertion, noting that any provide changes that occurred have been made to accommodate an elevated demand for eggs from hens that weren’t housed in cages.
“Roughly 20 years in the past, Cal-Maine Meals together with many different contemporary egg producers in the United States, responded to rising calls for from customers and retailers to enhance the general remedy of egg laying hens. These applications have been consistent with different prevailing animal welfare legal guidelines throughout the protein business and weren’t supposed to limit provide and have an effect on costs. The applications have been supported by our prospects and kind the premise of many state legal guidelines throughout the nation at this time,” the corporate said.
All three plaintiff firms have signed pledges to solely supply eggs from cage-free hens.
In the identical assertion, Cal-Maine Meals stated it is going to “assess the choice and choices for enchantment.”
