Quick Take — US price-fixing case: producers to pay $3.3 million and donate 53 million eggs

Three major companies in the sector have reached an agreement with the US judicial system regarding price-fixing over several years. They will be required to donate these eggs to food banks and NGOs…

Cal-Maine Foods, Versova-Centrum and Hickman’s Egg Ranch “illegally coordinated to influence the daily egg price index ”, which meant “artificially inflating prices for distributors and consumers”…

Egg prices have soared in recent years in the United States, particularly in 2025 with the proliferation of avian influenza outbreaks on American farms. They reached an all-time high inMarch 2025, doubling within a year (96 per cent)…

Egg prices have given a major boost to US inflation. Below: a tongue-in-cheek photo showing that eggs had become ‘a dream’, given their scarcity

Quick Take — France: negotiations between large-scale retailers and independent retailers could prevent price rises of 37 per cent

This advert appeared recently in various newspapers in response to a number of political attacks on the way the French retail sector manages its procurement.

The clear message for an Italy that often acts in a ‘disorganised’ manner is this: the French large-scale retail sector (Leclerc, Carrefour, Intermarché, Système U and Auchan) is not afraid – of the government, the competition authorities, etc. – and stands united against brand manufacturers to protect French consumers’ purchasing power from inflation.

And this is regardless of the policy and methodology used to calculate any price increases.

Quick Take — US: inflation at 4.2%

Consumer prices rose by 4.2% in May compared with a year earlier, the US Department of Labour said on Wednesday, accelerating from 3.8% the previous month.

The figures highlighted by Andrea Montanino in the *Corriere della Sera* on 8 June 2026 arenoteworthy: the price of a gallon of petrol (= 4 litres) in the US rose from $2.91 (in February) to $4.43 in June, and the price of beef, partly due to climate change, has risen by 15% over the past year.

Today’s Wall Street Journal adds to this the AI boom, which will create a bottleneck for many supplies (for example: in IT, many components and equipment are no longer available except with long waiting lists and sky-high prices).

Then there is plastic, which is everywhere: from nappies to household and beauty products.

Drafted on 10 June, updated on 15 June 2026

Quick Take — Nielsen: in the supermarket sector, 70% of volume growth is driven solely by 20 categories linked to the theme of wellbeing

Over the last twelve months, the ‘fresh’ category has grown by 4%, whilst ‘fruit and vegetables’ (5.5%), ‘butcher’s & poultry’ (6.8%) and ‘packaged fresh products’ (3.7%). By contrast, categories such as “cold cuts” (-2.6%) and “packaged food” (1.3%) have slowed down …

purchase frequency is rising.
Over the last year, it has increased by 7.6%: people are visiting shops more often, buying less to avoid stockpiling items that might end up being thrown away. Among young families with children under 24 – those facing the greatest financial difficulties – the trend is even more pronounced: the frequency has jumped by 12.8%. Despite all this, large-scale retail is showing stable growth of around 2%…

Repubblica, 10 June 2026.

Among the 20 categories mentioned in the headline, bananas and extra virgin olive oil stand out. It is unclear whether Nielsen’s figures are adjusted for inflation or not.