EU inflation pushes egg prices up by an average 30% in January

By Vittorio Maresca di Serracapriola and Alessandro Parodi

(Reuters) - Consumers across the European Union paid on average 30% more for eggs in January than a year before, Eurostat data showed on Friday, with the humble kitchen staple posting amongst the biggest price increases across all food products.

Czech food lovers had to fork out up to 85% more to add an egg to the country's traditional Kulajda soup, while in Hungary prices increased by 80% from January 2022, the bloc's statistics agency said.

German and Austrian egg lovers had a luckier run, with a respective annual inflation rate of 18% and 19% last year.

As prices continue to rise, overall inflation across the 27-member bloc reached the highest level ever measured in 2022 at 9.2%, up from 2.9% a year before, a separate Eurostat report showed on Thursday.

Food and non-alcoholic beverages were among the hardest hit products, with an average hike of 11.9%.

Other major economies were also affected by rising costs last year, with inflation levels reaching 8.7% in the United States, 2.5% in Japan and 2.0% China, Eurostat said.

(Reporting by Vittorio Maresca di Serracapriola and Alessandro Parodi; Editing by Sharon Singleton)