A Sticky Situation
Pizza lovers craving a gooey New York slice will have to fork over a little extra dough this summer thanks to [skyrocketing cheese prices]. Famous Famiglia Pizzeria, at 50th and Broadway, has already upped the cost of a slice from $2.25 to $2.40, and other retailers are following suit, charging more for artery clogging favorites like mozzarella sticks to protect their own bottom lines. Last week, cheddar hit a whopping $2.08 a pound on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. While that doesnt sound like much compared to grocery isle prices, it was only $1.17 a pound this time last yeara 77 percent jump. Industry experts are blaming the increase on strong demand, as well as rising energy costs and higher-priced feed. The [price of retail milk](http://www.newsday.com/business/ny-bzmilk0626,0,3650234.story?coll=ny-business-leadheadlines) is also expected to rise dramatically this summer, following a 44 percent increase in the set price farmers are allowed to charge. Got that [Rudy](http://www.nypress.com/blogx/display_blog.cfm?bid=87752579&day=11&startmonth=4&startyear=2007)?
Photo courtesy of [Gaetan Lee on Flickr]