Hopping mad: Easter and Passover staples hit by sky-high inflation

The high holy days are aptly named this year, with prices for holiday staples higher than ever.And it’s not just Easter eggs hit by inflation.In all, a bag of Easter groceries will cost $106.40 — up 11% or $10.31, from a year ago.Passover staples will cost you $124.51 — 18.1% or $15.10 more than last year, The Post found.Poor weather and crop disease in Africa drove cocoa prices to a 25-year high in December, making chocolate bunnies tougher on the wallet ahead of the April 20 holiday.

The Post found an 18-oz.hollow milk-chocolate bunny selling for an extra $4 in the Big Apple – a 13% increase from a year ago.And though egg prices dropped slightly since peaking in February on bird flu-driven short supply, New Yorkers are still paying close to 40% more for the same carton of eggs in the city.

No wonder some people have taken to decorating potatoes instead of eggs, and some retailers are skipping eggs altogether this year in their holiday baskets.The US eased the shortage at home by striking import deals with other countries like Brazil, Turkey and South Korea, but Wednesday’s tariffs are likely to put a dent in that relief.Staples for Passover, which begins at sundown on April 12, aren’t getting cheaper either.

Handmade matzah, which is only available in specialty shops, is up a whopping 25%.Packaged matzo hasn’t suffered the same fate, with prices stable at least at a couple big stores in the city – though last year some consumers reported at least two popular brands were hit by shrinkflation.Brisket has also escaped inflation, which doesn’t come as a surprise to economists.“The action’s been at the poultry level – other livestock and their products not so much,” said NYU economist Lawrence White, referring to the avian flu that has killed more than 166 million birds in the US and drove egg prices into the double digits.Gefilte fish has gone up significantly – rising 23%, and even macaroons aren’t immune to the surge....