The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has launched an antitrust investigation into major egg producers over alleged price-fixing and supply manipulation schemes amid a sharp rise in egg prices, local media reported on Saturday. DOJ investigators are examining whether the companies shared information about supply and pricing, potentially leading to steep price hikes, according to multiple media outlets, including ABC News and The New York Times, citing people familiar with the matter. The probe targets companies including Cal-Maine Foods and Rose Acre Farms, the nation’s top two egg suppliers, the sources said. Cal-Maine Foods, a Nasdaq-listed company, registered an 82 percent annual growth in revenue and a staggering 1,188 percent surge in net profit to 219 million dollars for the three months ending November 2024. Over the past year, the company’s stock price has skyrocketed by about 50 percent. Egg prices in the U.S. have surged since early last year, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) now projects an additional 41.1 percent increase in 2025. The United Egg Producers, a farmer cooperative, has attributed the price spike to avian flu outbreaks, which have decimated poultry stocks and significantly reduced egg supplies. The organization noted that the U.S. culled 40 million egg-laying hens in 2024 due to the virus, with another 31 million killed in the first two months of this year alone. Shotlist: USA - Feb 19, 2025: FILE: New York City, USA - October 2024 1. Various of street view, U.S. national flags, traffic, buildings; FILE: Los Angeles, California, USA - 2020 2. Shoppers in supermarket; FILE: Miami, USA - November 2024 3. Customers in grocery store; USA - Feb 19, 2025 4. Various of customers shopping for eggs; limit signs; 5. Various of empty shelves; out of stock notice; FILE: Chicago, USA - 2015 6. Various of hen coop, chickens, eggs; 7. Various of chicken on farm; 8. Various of eggs on conveyor belt. [Restriction - No access Chinese mainland]