MAHA, Neb. (AP) \u2014 Chickens may not be able to fly very far, but the price of eggs is soaring.
\nA lingering bird flu outbreak, combined with soaring feed, fuel and labor costs, has led to U.S. egg prices more than doubling over the past year, and hatched a lot of sticker shock on grocery aisles.
\nThe national average price for a dozen eggs hit $3.59 in November, up from $1.72 a year earlier, according to the latest government data. That\u2019s putting stress on consumer budgets and the bottom lines of restaurants, bakeries and other food producers that rely heavily on eggs.
\nGrocery prices\u00a0that were up 12% in November are driving\u00a0inflation higher,\u00a0even though the overall pace of price increases\u00a0slowed a bit through the fall\u00a0as gas prices eased.
\nBut egg prices are up significantly more than other foods \u2014 even more than chicken or turkey \u2014 because egg farmers were hit harder by the bird flu. More than 43 million of the 58 million\u00a0birds slaughtered\u00a0over the past year to control the virus have been egg-laying chickens, including some farms with more than a million birds apiece in major egg-producing states\u00a0like Iowa.
\nEveryone who approaches the egg case a Hy-Vee grocery store in Omaha, \u201chas a sour face,\u201d said shopper Nancy Stom.<\/p>\n