El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank is set to receive 10,000 dozen eggs as part of a statewide settlement between Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Cal‑Maine Foods. That local windfall comes out of a pool of roughly 2.16 million eggs, or 180,000 dozen, that will be spread among food banks across Texas. Cal‑Maine is required to finish all deliveries within 120 days of the settlement.
According to a press release from the Texas Attorney General's Office, the agreement resolves a lawsuit Paxton filed in April 2020, accusing Cal‑Maine of hiking egg prices by about 300% during the pandemic. Paxton said, "Cal‑Maine tried to take advantage of the people of Texas during the COVID‑19 pandemic," and the settlement secures donated product along with reforms intended to prevent future price gouging. The attorney general's office says donations will be coordinated with recipient food banks to match storage capacity and delivery logistics.
How the donations will be distributed
As reported by KVIA, the plan calls for at least 30,000 dozen eggs each to go to the North Texas Food Bank and the Houston Food Bank; 20,000 dozen apiece to the Tarrant Area, Central Texas and San Antonio food banks; and 10,000 dozen to El Pasoans Fighting Hunger, the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley, and the East Texas Food Bank. Smaller drops of 5,000 and 2,000 dozen eggs will head to coastal, south, and high‑plains food banks, so the free eggs do not all end up in the big metro areas.
Why it matters in El Paso
El Pasoans Fighting Hunger has been operating with tight budgets and reduced services as funding has shrunk, which makes a shipment of 10,000 dozen eggs a significant bump for its mobile pantries, school programs, and partner agencies. El Paso Matters reported last year that the food bank cut back partner distributions and adjusted schedules because of budget shortfalls, and the organization notes it serves El Paso, Hudspet,h and Culberson counties from its main warehouse. CEO Susan Goodell has said the food bank often travels long distances to rescue donated food and relies heavily on whatever inventory it can secure, so having truckloads delivered directly is no small relief.
What the settlement requires
The court's Agreed Final Judgment and Injunction orders Cal‑Maine to donate 180,000 dozen eggs, bars the company for ten years from selling or demanding inflated egg prices during a designated disaster period, and requires the company to complete all donations within 120 days. The judgment also directs Cal‑Maine to coordinate logistics with recipient food banks, provide monthly progress reports to the Attorney General's Office, and refrain from charging recipient food banks for shipping, handling, or storage. Those enforcement terms are detailed in the Agreed Final Judgment and Injunction filed with the court.
Wider context
Sharp retail price spikes and supply disruptions, driven in part by avian influenza outbreaks, put a national spotlight on egg market practices and triggered investigations into major producers. The Associated Press and other outlets have documented rising egg prices and federal scrutiny of industry behavior in recent years.
Once logistics are finalized, the eggs will be distributed through mobile pantries and partner agencies, and organizers say volunteers will be needed to move the perishable product quickly. For updates on distribution schedules or to reach the food bank directly, visit the El Pasoans Fighting Hunger contact page at El Pasoans Fighting Hunger.
