A carton of 12 Grade A large eggs now averages $2.17, reports from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show. The price has risen 24 percent in the past year, accompanying sharp increases for milk and cheese, other dairy products. Overall U.S. food prices rose last year at the fastest rate since 1990.

According to The Birmingham News, agriculture experts have said that there are many reasons the centerpiece of your morning meal is costing more. A major factory, they say, are that corn prices have jumped, boosting costs of the feed farmers use to feed their flocks.

Frank McEwen of Coosa Valley Milling in Wilsonville said a truckload of grain cost him $8,000 this week, compared to $3,500 a few years ago. That means higher egg prices aren't the boon for egg farmers that many consumers think, he said.

"Egg prices are up due to higher feed costs," said McEwen, whose Shelby County company has a feed mill on site that turns grain into feed for farm animals.