Food prices increase 6.0% annually

The price of food in New Zealand increased annually by 6.0%, according to figures released today by Stats NZ.

Despite this large annual rise, prices fell for the third consecutive month.

The largest factor in this annual change was an increase in grocery food prices, chiefly driven by the rising cost of fresh eggs, candies, and nuts.

Across the five categories of food products measured by Stats NZ, annual price increases were as follows: grocery food prices (7.0%), restaurant meals and ready-to-eat food (7.5%), fruit and vegetable prices (4.8%), non-alcoholic beverage prices (5.8%), and meat, poultry, and fish prices (2.0%).