Food prices unchanged overall in September – Media release

11 October 2013

Food prices showed no overall change in September 2013, but were up 1.2 percent on a year earlier, Statistics New Zealand said today.

"In September 2013, food prices remained the same overall. Seasonally cheaper veg prices were countered by more expensive fresh milk, cakes, and biscuits," prices manager Chris Pike said.

In September, vegetable prices fell 7.4 percent, influenced largely by seasonally cheaper lettuce (down 44 percent), tomatoes (down 8.4 percent), and capsicum (down 26 percent).

Grocery food prices rose 0.9 percent. This was mainly due to fresh milk (up 6.4 percent) and to bread and cereal products such as cakes and biscuits (up 4.2 percent). The average price of the cheapest available 2-litre container of blue-top milk rose from $3.17 to $3.42.

Other rises included ready-to-eat food (up 1.2 percent) and fruit (up 1.0 percent).

Annual change in prices

In the year to September 2013, the food price index (FPI) increased 1.2 percent.

The annual increase was largely influenced by grocery food (up 2.0 percent). Fresh milk increased 6.4 percent for the year to its highest level since April 2012. Bread was up 3.7 percent and butter was up 24 percent in the year to September 2013.

Restaurant meals and ready-to-eat food (up 1.1 percent), non-alcoholic beverages (up 1.9 percent), and fruit (up 2.9 percent) all increased for the year.

Vegetables (down 2.3 percent) were the largest downward contributor, with cheaper broccoli (down 29 percent), lettuce (down 18 percent), and tomatoes (down 7.1 percent) compared with September 2012.

The FPI measures the rate of price change of food and food services purchased by households. Statistics NZ visits shops across New Zealand to collect prices for the FPI and check package sizes.

Visit Food Price Index: September 2013

FoodPriceIndexSep13.pdf

fpisep13tables.xls

ENDS

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