Overview

• Egg prices have risen by almost 9% in December due to a new outbreak of avian flu, with the cost of a dozen large eggs rising to more than $2.50 from $2.14 in November.
• Other grocery items that have seen a price increase include ham, peanut butter, and steak, while lettuce and potato prices have decreased the most.
• Despite the increase in certain items, the overall increase in grocery prices was 0.1% in December, less than the 0.3% increase in the cost of eating out and the 0.3% increase in consumer prices overall.
• Food at home prices rose a modest 1.3% for the year ended in December, the lowest annual increase since June 2021.
• Despite the rise in egg prices, they are still 24% lower than they were in December 2022 when a previous outbreak of avian flu caused prices to surge.