Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:09p.m.
Food prices fell 0.7 percent in September, with vegetable prices down sharply.
Statistics New Zealand's (SNZ) food price index for September, published today, showed the price of vegetables was 12.8 percent lower than in August.
The vegetable prices decline was the largest recorded in the past decade, and likely to have been influenced by unusually warm weather in August, SNZ said.
Vegetable prices also fell in August, down 3.2 percent, after double-digit price increases in July for more than half the green vegetables monitored for the index, influenced by unusually cold weather in May, SNZ said.
In September lettuce prices were down 40.7 percent, cucumber down 25.5 percent, and capsicum down 23.5 percent.
The fruit and vegetable subgroup fell 8.4 percent as a whole in September, while grocery food prices recorded their second consecutive fall with a 0.1 percent fall.
The meat, poultry, and fish subgroup rose 1.8 percent in September -- with fresh chicken up 6.9 percent and minced beef up 6.8 percent -- following price falls in July and August.
For the year to September 2009, the food price index rose 3.3 percent, the smallest annual rise since 3 percent in the year to June 2007, SNZ said.
Grocery food prices rose 3.8 percent for the year, while the meat, poultry, and fish group was up 7.1 percent, non-alcoholic beverages were up 9.7 percent, and restaurant meals and ready-to-eat food lifted 3.6 percent.
The fruit and vegetables subgroup fell 7.4 percent in the year to September 2009.
NZPA