My breakfast habits aren’t the best. My favorite go-to in the morning is eggs and bacon with a side of toast smeared with Skippy peanut butter.
I suppose I’m subconsciously continuing the tradition started long ago by my father, who cooked the bacon first in an iron skillet and then cracked open the eggs and cooked them right in the bacon grease. Certainly not the healthiest way to start the day but it tasted good and always a better alternative to a bowl of Cheerios.
On the bright side, eggs do contain a lot of protein that provides the energy needed to run around all day. I’m still not sure about the health benefits of bacon grease, though.
Regardless, I’m sure you can imagine my excitement when it was announced that Connecticut would receive 1.5 million eggs as part of a nationwide antitrust settlement against several large producers accused of secretly working together to inflate the price of eggs. Overall, Cal-Maine Foods, Hickman’s Egg Ranch and Versova Certrum agreed to donate 53 million eggs to settle a lawsuit brought by 17 states and reviewed by the Department of Justice. The states, including New York, which will receive five million eggs, charged that the three massive egg producers colluded to control and raise the prices on egg supply contracts from June 2022 to March 2025. In turn, that forced retailers and eventually consumers to pay more at the grocery store.
When I first heard the news of the settlement, I didn’t know where to go to get my share of the dozens of free eggs coming my way. Should I go to my local grocer? Are stacks of eggs sitting in a warehouse somewhere? Will there be long lines of others trying claim them?
I calculated that over the nearly three-year period that the price fixing scheme took place, I purchased about 150 dozen eggs above fair market value. Luckily, I’ve saved my money through the years, so I did manage to make it through a potential financial crisis during that time. But my elation in getting my share was short lived.
After doing some lengthy research, I discovered that there are 1.5 million households in Connecticut, so that would leave me with one egg. Big deal! That’s not even enough to make an omelet. I’m talking about a good two egg omelet with cheddar cheese, grilled onions and of course bacon on the side.
Fortunately, though, Connecticut’s share will be put to much better use as the bounty of 125,000 dozen eggs earmarked for the state will be delivered over time to charities and food pantries. That’s a lot better choice than trying to deliver one egg each to 1.5 million households, especially with the price of gasoline continuing to rise. I do love eggs, but it doesn’t make sense to drive somewhere just to pick up one egg.
Besides, providing pantries with a much-needed food staple comes at a time when nearly one in seven state residents, or a total of 516,000 residents, struggle with hunger. The challenge of meeting that need has increased 40 percent since 2020 and trying to meet that demand has become more problematic for food pantries. However, we can all help. Today might just be the right time to donate needed food items or to make a contribution to your local pantry.
Dave Dunleavy was a longtime reporter and columnist for The News-Times in Danbury. He lives in Kent. His column “View from the Front Porch” runs monthly.
