It was an egg-regious deed.
A farm accused of jacking up the price of eggs during the coronavirus pandemic has agreed to shell out 1.2 million eggs as part of a settlement deal reached with the New York Attorney General’s Office.
AG Letitia James’ office sued Hillandale Farms, the fourth-largest egg producer in the country, in August, accusing it of charging egg-streme prices that were up to four times higher than normal during March and April 2020.
As part of an agreement reached today, Hillandale — an Ohio- and Pennsylvania-based wholesale egg distributor — has promised to stop price-gouging and donate 1.2 million, or 100,000 cartons of, eggs to food banks throughout New York, the AG’s Office said.
The food banks will distribute the eggs to food pantries, soup kitchens and homeless shelters to help those in need, according to the AG.
“As New Yorkers scrambled to stock up on food, one of the nation’s largest egg producers raised prices to unprecedented levels and made it harder for New Yorkers to feed their families,” James said in a statement.
“Hillandale may have run afoul of our state’s price gouging laws and hatched a plan that targeted our state’s most vulnerable in its darkest hour, but, today, we’re delivering 1.2 million eggs to feed hungry New Yorkers and make things right,” the statement continued.
Meanwhile, the family-owned egg producer said it welcomed the opportunity to donate to New York food banks.
“Although it is important to note that the approach to pricing commodity eggs in New York using third-party data provided by Urner Barry has remained consistent for decades, the resolution of this matter reflects Hillandale Farms’ deep concern about the communities we serve,” Hillandale said in a statement.
“We welcomed the opportunity to take steps to benefit New York’s most vulnerable families and support ongoing hunger relief in the state.”