Takeaway and tomato prices up, but chicken cheaper

Takeaway and tomato prices up, but chicken cheaper – Media release

11 May 2018

Takeaway food and tomato prices rose in April, but chicken was the cheapest it has been in over 10 years, Stats NZ said today.

Overall, food prices remained steady (up 0.1 percent) in April. Higher prices for ready-to-eat and grocery foods were balanced by a drop for meat and many vegetables – except for tomatoes, which more than doubled in price in just two months.

Ready-to-eat food rose 0.7 percent in April, with prices rising for ethnic food (up 1.6 percent), takeaway coffee (up 0.7 percent), and takeaway pizza (up 1.0 percent).

“Prices for restaurant meals and ready-to-eat food usually increase steadily over time; however, these items all rose more than usual in April,” consumer prices manager Geraldine Duoba said.

“The minimum wage increase of 75 cents to $16.50 an hour on 1 April may have been a factor, as labour costs make up a significant proportion of these businesses’ costs.”

Vegetable prices fell 1.6 percent in April. Lettuce, broccoli, and cauliflower all fell strongly, following high prices in March. After adjusting for seasonal movements, vegetables prices fell 5.1 percent.

“While vegetable prices fell in April, tomato prices continued to rise,” Mrs Duoba said. “Tomato prices rose 41 percent this month, following a more than 60 percent rise in March.”

Chicken prices defy upward trend for meat

Meat prices fell in April, with poultry prices falling 4.5 percent.

A 1kg pack of chicken pieces was $7.63 in April, down from $8.16 in March, and $8.10 in April 2017. This was the lowest price since the series began in June 2014.

For the year to April, prices for meat and poultry increased 1.0 percent. Pork and lamb prices increased strongly with pork up 12 percent and lamb up 17 percent. These increases were offset by cheaper poultry prices, which decreased 6.8 percent in the latest year. Beef prices remained flat annually.

Video about Food price index: April 2018

View our video Food price index: April 2018

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