#Hillandale Farms accused of jacking up egg prices during coronavirus

The fourth-largest egg producer in the country has been jacking up the prices of eggs during the coronavirus pandemic by as much as four times their regular rates, new court papers allege.

Hillandale Farms, an Ohio and Pennsylvania based wholesale egg distributor, allegedly made around $4 million in New York off of the sky-high prices, a lawsuit filed Tuesday by New York Attorney General Letitia James claims.

Hillandale — which sells to major grocery stores, US Military facilities and wholesale distributors in New York — was selling a dozen large white eggs to Western Beef at prices ranging from $.59 to $1.10 in January, according to the Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit.

But as the pandemic took hold in the state, prices allegedly soared to $2.93 — nearly five times the low-end January rate — by the end of March.

Similarly, Hillandale sold a carton of eggs to West Point for $3.15 in April 2020 — almost quadruple the $0.84 price it charged the military facility in January, the court documents claim.

The company isn’t increasing prices “to offset any increased costs — which it acknowledges have not affected its prices — but simply to line its own pockets and profit off New Yorkers during a time of crisis,” the suit alleges.

Outraged shoppers complained to the AG’s office about the notably high costs of the grocery staple.

A Western Beef customer reported a dozen eggs were going for $5.49 at the store.

“This location serves low-income families who, due to the current pandemic emergency, have most likely lost what little income they have. Disgraceful!,” the customer said, according to the AG.

In April, an elderly customer at a Lower East Side Fine Fare store said a carton of eggs were going for double what he had paid for years.

“I’ve been living in the community for 65 years. The prices are ridiculous…Sad and disrespectful to people who are buying from them all our lives,” the man complained to the AG’s office.

“In less than two months, Hillandale made millions by cheating our most vulnerable communities and our service members, actions that are both unlawful and truly rotten,” James said in a statement.

“I will always stand up for working people, especially when they are taken advantage of by corporate greed.”

James also sued wholesaler Quality King in May for allegedly increasing the price of Lysol by 50 percent.

Hillandale did not immediately return a request for comment.