Wellington March 11 2022: Food prices in New Zealand increased 6.8 percent year-on-year in February of 2022, accelerating from the 5.9 percent increase in the previous month for the highest reading since July of 2011.
Costs rose the most for fruit and vegetables (17 percent), meat, poultry, and fish (7.1 percent), and restaurant and ready-to-eat foods (5.2 percent). On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, food costs edged 0.1 percent higher from a 1.1 percent gain in January, largely due to restaurant and ready-to-eat-meals (0.3 percent).