Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Tuesday that more than 1.7 million free eggs have already been delivered to food banks across the state, with an additional 5.3 million slated for distribution in the coming weeks. This effort is part of antitrust settlements with three major egg producers: Cal-Maine Foods, Centrum/Versova, and Hickman's Egg Ranch.
The settlements resolve antitrust claims brought by the U.S. Department of Justice and a coalition of state attorneys general, alleging the companies conspired to inflate egg prices between 2022 and 2025. As part of the agreements, the companies will donate over 7 million eggs to Texas food banks and pay $3.3 million to participating states.
"After securing 7 million eggs for the people of Texas, I am excited to announce that Texans will now have an opportunity to receive cartons of free eggs in communities across the state," Paxton stated. "I will continue to help our families put food on the table and do everything within my power to lower prices and help Texans who are struggling to make ends meet."
The distribution is being coordinated with Feeding Texas, the state's largest hunger-relief organization, involving 17 food banks. The Houston Food Bank is set to receive the largest allocation with 1,544,400 eggs, followed by the North Texas Food Bank in Plano and the Tarrant Area Food Bank in Fort Worth, each receiving 842,400 eggs. Other participating food banks are located in cities throughout Texas, including Austin, San Antonio, Tyler, Corpus Christi, El Paso, Laredo, Odessa, Pharr, Beaumont, Amarillo, Lubbock, Victoria, Abilene, and Wichita Falls.
It remains unclear when individual food banks will begin distributing the eggs to residents or if there will be varying eligibility requirements by location. A spokesperson for Feeding Texas and Cal-Maine Foods did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding distribution timelines and how Texans can access the eggs.
