Eggs surge in prices and profits cont.

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Cal-Maine Foods is the largest egg producer in the United States, covering the sales of shelled eggs for “the southwestern, southeastern, mid-western and mid-Atlantic regions of the U.S.,” according to their website. They have more than 42 million egg-laying hens on their farms.

The company claims to be at the forefront of cultural sustainability in its company, and states its “mission is to be the most sustainable producer and reliable supplier of consistent, high-quality fresh shell eggs and egg products in the country.”

While Cal-Maine Foods has agreed with the USDA’s claim that the avian flu is the cause of the most recent price increases on eggs, Farm Action states that the avian flu and decrease in available egg-laying hens are not a steep enough decrease in production to warrant such high prices for eggs.

Cal-Maine Foods has increased quarterly sales by 110 percent, with their gross profits up more than 600 percent compared to past years, according to Reuters News.