KEY POINTS:
Food prices edged up 0.2 per cent in April, bringing the annual increase to 4.3 per cent, Statistics New Zealand said today.
The monthly increase was largely due to a 1.2 per cent increase in prices in the non-alcoholic beverages subgroup, driven by higher prices for instant coffee (up 12.4 per cent).
Other contributors to the increase were higher prices from the restaurant meals and ready-to-eat food (up 0.5 per cent); meat, poultry and fish (up 0.6 per cent); and fresh fruit and vegetables (up 0.4 per cent) subgroups.
Major individual contributors to the rise were tomatoes (up 15.1 per cent), lettuce (up 36.1 per cent) and mandarins (up 39.3 per cent).
This was partly offset by lower prices for kiwifruit (down 27.4 per cent) and apples (down 8.8 per cent).
Prices for the grocery food subgroup fell 0.4 per cent. The major driver in this subgroup was cheese (down 2.1 per cent).
Over the year, prices were up for all subgroups: meat, poultry and fish (up 9.5 per cent); fruit and vegetables (up 9.6 per cent); restaurant meals and ready-to-eat food (up 3.7 per cent); grocery food (up 1.6 per cent) and non-alcoholic beverages (up 2.1 per cent).
- NZPA
