(The Hill) -- Concerns about skyrocketing gas prices across the U.S. have been a major worry for Americans this year, but high inflation has also led to soaring prices at the grocery store.
The consumer price index (CPI) rose 8.5 percent over the last 12 months, with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recording large bumps in everything from fruits and vegetables to meats and dairy products.
Below are the five grocery items with the largest 12-month cost increase, according to the USDA and Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Uncooked beef and veal have seen the biggest spike on store shelves, rising 20.4 percent over the last year.
Uncooked beef roasts rose 17.7 percent, and beef steaks jumped 16.4 percent.
A severe labor shortage in the meat-packing industry caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to the increase in meat prices.
Citrus fruits, including lemons, limes and grapefruits, climbed 19.5 percent.
The prices for oranges and tangerines rose 18.3 percent.
A myriad of factors have jacked up prices for fresh produce, including rising wages in Mexico, a major importer of fruits and vegetables, and a drought in California, according to The Washington Post.
Bacon products soared 18.2 percent in the last year.
Breakfast sausages have also risen considerably, at 16.5 percent in the past 12 months.
The price for margarine rose 15.8 percent annually, while peanut butter rose 15.8 percent in the past year.
Butter production has fallen 1.4 percent from February 2021 and 5.4 percent from this January, according to the latest USDA report.
Chicken parts, which includes packages of drum sticks, thighs and breasts, rose 15.1 percent.
The price for birds could rise again as the bird flu has been spreading across the country and in some cases affecting commercial flocks.
