Grocery prices up again

Embargoed until 10:45am – 11 December 2008

Grocery prices up again

Food prices increased 0.8 percent in the November 2008 month, Statistics New Zealand said today. The most significant contribution to the increase came from the grocery food subgroup (up 1.0 percent), driven by higher prices for yoghurt (up 6.8 percent) and bread (up 1.7 percent).

The only subgroup to record a downward contribution in the November 2008 month was fruit and vegetables (down 0.3 percent). Within this subgroup, the main contribution to the decrease came from vegetable prices (down 5.4 percent), driven by lower prices for tomatoes (down 29.6 percent), lettuce (down 32.4 percent), and broccoli (down 24.2 percent). These were significantly offset by higher fruit prices (up 7.9 percent), driven by higher prices for nectarines (up 57.2 percent) and apples (up 17.5 percent).

Other subgroups that made upward contributions were non-alcoholic beverages (up 1.8 percent), restaurant meals and ready-to-eat food (up 0.6 percent), and meat, poultry and fish (up 0.3 percent).

For the year to November 2008, food prices rose by 10.3 percent. All five subgroups recorded upward contributions to the annual increase: grocery food (up 11.5 percent), fruit and vegetables (up 16.0 percent), meat, poultry and fish (up 9.7 percent), restaurant meals and ready-to-eat food (up 6.5 percent), and non-alcoholic beverages (up 7.6 percent). Within these subgroups, higher prices were recorded for ready-to-eat food (up 7.5 percent), bread (up 18.3 percent), cakes and biscuits (up 17.0 percent), cheddar cheese (up 35.2 percent), potatoes (up 43.6 percent), and soft drinks (up 9.9 percent).

Geoff Bascand
Government Statistician
11 December 2008
ENDS

See also the Hot Off The Press information release Food Price Index: November 2008 [PDF].

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fpinov2008alltables.xls

Food Price Index: November 2008 Highlights

In November 2008 compared with October 2008:
Food prices rose 0.8 percent.
Grocery food prices rose 1.0 percent.
Non-alcoholic beverage prices rose 1.8 percent.
Restaurant meals and ready-to-eat food rose 0.6 percent.
Meat, poultry and fish prices rose 0.3 percent.
Fruit and vegetables fell 0.3 percent.

From November 2007 to November 2008:
Food prices increased 10.3 percent.

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