Food prices fell 1.3 percent in February, with prices for fruit and vegetables, meat and fish, and groceries all falling from January.Last month's decline took the annual rise in food prices to just 0.7 percent, the lowest annual rise in nearly five years
Food prices fell 1.3 percent in February, with prices for fruit and vegetables, meat and fish, and groceries all falling from January.
Last month's decline took the annual rise in food prices to just 0.7 percent, the lowest annual rise in nearly five years, Statistics New Zealand (SNZ) said today. Food prices are 9.6 percent higher than two years ago.
Prices in the fruit and vegetable subgroup fell 3.5 percent last month, with apples down 26.6 percent as the new season's crop became more widely available, and potatoes down 11.4 percent. Tomatoes were up 12.2 percent and strawberries up 36.3 percent.
The meat, poultry and fish subgroup decreased 2.4 percent in February, with porterhouse/sirloin steak down 17.6 percent to a level last seen in August 2007. Minced beef did rise, up 5.2 percent, but chicken prices fell 4.4 percent, SNZ said.
Grocery food dropped 0.8 percent from January while non-alcoholic beverages were down 1.9 percent. Restaurant meals and ready-to-eat food was unchanged.
For the year to February, fruit and vegetable prices were down 1.9 percent, including potatoes down 20.1 percent and kiwifruit down 31.1 percent, while tomato prices rose 31.3 percent.
Meat, poultry and fish prices edged down 0.2 percent for the year, with porterhouse/sirloin steak down 11.1 percent and chicken down 5 percent, while lamb chops were up 20.7 percent and sausages up 13.7 percent.
Grocery food lifted 0.6 percent over the year, restaurant meals and ready-to-eat food was up 2.2 percent, and non-alcoholic beverages lifted 2.5 percent. Sugar prices were up 38 percent over the year.
