Higher fruit and vegetable prices have pushed up News Zealand’s food price index to 0.4% in March 2005, according to the figures released today (Friday) by Statistics New Zealand.
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Increases were also recorded for grocery food, soft drinks and confectionery; and restaurant meals and ready-to-eat food. Prices for meat, fish and poultry decreased in March 2005.
Fruit and vegetable prices rose 3.5% in March 2005. The most significant price increase was for tomatoes, up 85.3%. Higher prices were also recorded for mandarins (up 27.9%) and apples (up 6.8%), while lettuce (down 23.8%) and pumpkin (down 13.9%) prices decreased.
There were small increases in the grocery food, soft drinks and confectionery subgroup, and the restaurant meals and ready-to-eat food subgroup (both up 0.1%) in March 2005. Prices for meat, fish and poultry were down 0.7%.
From March 2004 to March 2005, food prices increased 1.1%. Price increases were recorded for meat, fish and poultry (up 3.8%), restaurant meals and ready-to-eat food (up 2.6%) and grocery food, soft drinks and confectionery (up 1.0%). Lower prices were recorded for fruit and vegetables (down 4.6%).
