Cost of living: The fruit & vegetables best to buy now

Lettuce is one of the best vegetables to buy this week. Photo / NZME

The cost of living crisis and rising food prices has made it harder for New Zealand families to make ends eat with reports of shoppers even skipping the fresh produce section at the supermarket because it is too expensive.

As costs continue to rise – vegetable prices increased 22 per cent in year the March 2023 – the Herald has launched a new series, The Veggie Index, highlighting this week’s best value produce.

Each week, president of non-profit industry association United Fresh, Jerry Prendergast, shares his picks of the best in-season fruit and vegetables to buy right now and why.

This week, green leafy vegetables in general are in good supply with lower prices across the board – from Asian and speciality types to silverbeet, celery and spinach.

Lettuce and broccoli heads are firm, big and at low price points while mandarin season is underway with price reductions expected next week.

Lettuce

Price: $2.50-$3 each.

We are coming to end of the lettuce season and now is the time to buy large, heavy heads of lettuce before the crops tend to become lightweight and harder to grow during winter.

“Lettuce is the perfect example of why you should purchase what is in plentiful supply. I always recommend purchasing what is in season,” Prendergast said.

“This is the last chance to get great value for a large, hearty quality product and will provide one of the best values per serving you could possibly expect for your family.”

Broccoli

Price: Around $2 each

Growing conditions have been ideal for leafy greens in general with these crops all planted after the Auckland floods and Cyclone Gabrielle.

Good volumes of the vegetable are coming out of the main growing regions across the country with lots of firm and large broccoli heads on the market.

Mandarin season is underway with the first crops coming out of Northland. Photo / Supplied

Mandarins

Price: $5-7 kg from next week

Mandarin season is fully under way with large volumes being harvested over the next 10 days.

The main crop of mandarins is from Northland until the end of May, and then from Gisborne from May until the end of August.

“The trees have received plenty of rain over the summer period which is producing a larger than usual fruit size.

“Generally, the easy peel mandarins are known as Satsuma mandarins. Within the Satsuma range there are a number of varieties, starting with Miho and Miyagawa, currently from Northland and then we can expect to have others Kawano, Okitsu, Aoshima following on.”

From next week, prices are expected to drop by $1-$2 kg to $5 to $7 kg, depending on where you are in New Zealand.