Agricultural economists at Purdue University say that this year, your Thanksgiving meal will cost more than last year, mainly due to rising energy costs and world food demands. Food prices have increased on an average of 4.4% over last year, although dairy has seen a 15% increase, and eggs have gone up 45%.

"Food prices in 2007 are up across the board. What we've seen happen in 2007 is different from previous years," said agricultural economist Corinne Alexander at Purdue University.

"This year we're seeing food prices increase at a rate of 4.4 percent, which is well above the 10-year average of 2.6 percent. In general, food price inflation is lower than the rest of inflation, but this year that's changed," he continued.

Some items, such as dairy and eggs, have seen even larger jumps in price. Energy prices on the rise are also to blame for increased food prices. Rising energy costs affect the cost of your food because that also increases the cost of manufacturing the food, as well as transporting it. Retailers are now passing on these higher costs to consumers.

A shortage of wheat worldwide has also added to the cost of wheat-based foods.

"The world's wheat supplies are at the tightest level since the 1975-76 crop year, and of course the world's population has grown since the 1970s. So, as a result, we're seeing prices for wheat products up as much as 10 percent," said Alexander.

Further fueling the rising cost of food this year is strong economic growth around the world, which has resulted in a higher demand for American agricultural products. As economies around the world grow, so does the available cash that they have to spend on food, which increases demand.

Turkey prices are up slightly over last year, and the USDA estimates that the cost will run from $0.90 to $0.94 per pound at Thanksgiving.

The good news is, not all of your meal is going to cost more. Traditional turkey day side dishes such as mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and cranberries have either experienced a price cut or will remain at 2006 prices. White potato prices are expected to be down as much as 5%, and there's apparently plenty of sweet potato crops and cranberries, so those will stay around the same price as last year.