Food Prices Increase 0.3 Percent

Embargoed until 10:45am – 13 November 2006

Food Prices Increase 0.3 Percent

Food prices increased 0.3 percent during October 2006, Statistics New Zealand said today. Rising prices for the meat, poultry and fish subgroup were the main contributor, increasing 2.7 percent. This increase was mainly driven by higher prices for poultry (up 7.5 percent), lamb (up 5.8 percent), beef (up 1.6 percent) and pork (up 5.5 percent).

Prices for the grocery food (up 0.4 percent), and restaurant meals and ready-to-eat food (up 0.2 percent) subgroups also increased. Fruit and vegetable (down 1.3 percent), and non-alcoholic beverage (down 1.5 percent) prices decreased.

For the year to October 2006, food prices rose 4.0 percent. Prices increased for all subgroups: fruit and vegetables (up 17.7 percent), restaurant meals and ready-to-eat food (up 3.0 percent), meat, poultry and fish (up 3.3 percent), grocery food (up 1.5 percent), and non-alcoholic beverages (up 1.8 percent).

Brian Pink
Government Statistician

ENDS

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