Blue versus red cod – more than twice the price

Blue versus red cod – more than twice the price

15 October 2014

Blue cod costs on average $21 more a kilo than red cod, but is edged out by snapper as the most expensive commonly available fresh fish, Statistics New Zealand said today.

The numbers follow a pattern seen since 2008, with the average of $38 a kilo for snapper in 2013 still the highest after topping the table each year from 2008, when it was $35.16 a kilo.

“Overall, fish prices have risen 9.2 percent in the past five years, but edged down a little last year,” prices manager Chris Pike said.

“Hoki’s the best bet if people want fish on a budget but red cod’s the next cheapest and is less than half the price of blue cod.”

Hoki cost an average of $13.29 a kilo in 2013, while red cod was $16.45 and blue cod $37.58.

“The most commonly available fish that we track in the consumers price index are salmon, tarakihi, and gurnard, but we do see quite a bit of variation around the country. Snapper’s available widely from Nelson north, but is barely available in Christchurch, Timaru, Dunedin, and Invercargill,” Mr Pike said.

“Fresh fish actually got slightly cheaper in 2013, as did lamb, but chicken and pork both went up last year.

“Trevally was the biggest mover, going up by 14 percent in 2013, to over $20 a kilo for the first time.”

Read Price Index News October 2014 for more detail on retail fish prices in the CPI. The newsletter also includes articles on ‘The New Zealand CPI in an international context’ and ‘Quirky items from the CPI’s 100 years’.

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