Stats NZ

Grocery food drives 10.3 percent annual increase in food prices

Food prices were 10.3 percent higher in January 2023 than they were in January 2022, with grocery food the largest contributor to this movement, Stats NZ said today.

Created with Highcharts 5.0.14Percent Food price index annual percent change, January 1990–January 2023Jan-90Aug-90Mar-91Oct-91May-92Dec-92Jul-93Feb-94Sep-94Apr-95Nov-95Jun-96Jan-97Aug-97Mar-98Oct-98May-99Dec-99Jul-00Feb-01Sep-01Apr-02Nov-02Jun-03Jan-04Aug-04Mar-05Oct-05May-06Dec-06Jul-07Feb-08Sep-08Apr-09Nov-09Jun-10Jan-11Aug-11Mar-12Oct-12May-13Dec-13Jul-14Feb-15Sep-15Apr-16Nov-16Jun-17Jan-18Aug-18Mar-19Oct-19May-20Dec-20Jul-21Feb-22Sep-22-5051015Stats NZ

Food price index annual percent change, January 1990–January 2023

Created with Highcharts 5.0.14PercentFood price index annual percent change, January 1990–January 2023Food price indexJan-90Aug-90Mar-91Oct-91May-92Dec-92Jul-93Feb-94Sep-94Apr-95Nov-95Jun-96Jan-97Aug-97Mar-98Oct-98May-99Dec-99Jul-00Feb-01Sep-01Apr-02Nov-02Jun-03Jan-04Aug-04Mar-05Oct-05May-06Dec-06Jul-07Feb-08Sep-08Apr-09Nov-09Jun-10Jan-11Aug-11Mar-12Oct-12May-13Dec-13Jul-14Feb-15Sep-15Apr-16Nov-16Jun-17Jan-18Aug-18Mar-19Oct-19May-20Dec-20Jul-21Feb-22Sep-22-5051015Stats NZ
Month endedFood price index
Jan-9011.8
Feb-909.9
Mar-9011
Apr-9011.4
May-9010.7
Jun-9010
Jul-906
Aug-904.9
Sep-904.6
Oct-903.3
Nov-903.2
Dec-903.3
Jan-913.9
Feb-913.5
Mar-912.7
Apr-911.3
May-911.2
Jun-910.5
Jul-910.7
Aug-910.4
Sep-91-0.6
Oct-91-1
Nov-91-0.7
Dec-91-0.8
Jan-92-1.3
Feb-92-0.5
Mar-92-0.9
Apr-92-1
May-92-0.8
Jun-92-0.6
Jul-92-0.3
Aug-920.4
Sep-921
Oct-921.9
Nov-921.5
Dec-921.8
Jan-932.9
Feb-933.1
Mar-932.1
Apr-932.3
May-931.3
Jun-930.7
Jul-931
Aug-930.6
Sep-930
Oct-930.1
Nov-930.1
Dec-93-0.3
Jan-94-0.9
Feb-94-0.3
Mar-940.2
Apr-94-0.1
May-94-0.2
Jun-940.4
Jul-94-0.1
Aug-94-0.3
Sep-94-0.5
Oct-940.3
Nov-940.3
Dec-941.8
Jan-951.3
Feb-950.4
Mar-950.9
Apr-951.9
May-953.5
Jun-952.2
Jul-950.8
Aug-950.7
Sep-951
Oct-950.4
Nov-951.8
Dec-950.6
Jan-960.3
Feb-96-0.1
Mar-960.5
Apr-960.5
May-960
Jun-961.1
Jul-962.2
Aug-962.4
Sep-963.1
Oct-963.2
Nov-962.1
Dec-961.7
Jan-972.4
Feb-972.7
Mar-973.6
Apr-973.4
May-971.7
Jun-972
Jul-972.7
Aug-972
Sep-971.3
Oct-971
Nov-970.9
Dec-971.8
Jan-982.1
Feb-982.7
Mar-982.2
Apr-982.7
May-982.6
Jun-982.8
Jul-982.8
Aug-984.2
Sep-984.2
Oct-984.4
Nov-984.3
Dec-983.6
Jan-993.6
Feb-993.9
Mar-992.4
Apr-991.7
May-992.4
Jun-991.4
Jul-991.1
Aug-99-0.6
Sep-99-0.3
Oct-99-1.2
Nov-99-0.3
Dec-99-0.5
Jan-001.1
Feb-00-1.1
Mar-00-0.2
Apr-00-0.7
May-00-0.2
Jun-001.7
Jul-001.4
Aug-002
Sep-002
Oct-002.9
Nov-003.5
Dec-004.8
Jan-014
Feb-015.7
Mar-015.1
Apr-016
May-016.2
Jun-015.7
Jul-015.8
Aug-016.3
Sep-017.8
Oct-017.7
Nov-016.7
Dec-015.8
Jan-025.6
Feb-024.5
Mar-025.5
Apr-025.2
May-024
Jun-023
Jul-023.3
Aug-023
Sep-021.4
Oct-021.7
Nov-021.2
Dec-020.6
Jan-030
Feb-030.6
Mar-03-0.3
Apr-03-0.7
May-030.8
Jun-030.6
Jul-030.7
Aug-030.2
Sep-030
Oct-03-0.3
Nov-030.4
Dec-030.6
Jan-04-0.2
Feb-040.1
Mar-041.5
Apr-041.7
May-040.5
Jun-040.9
Jul-04-0.1
Aug-040.4
Sep-041.3
Oct-041.1
Nov-040.8
Dec-041.2
Jan-051.8
Feb-051.7
Mar-051.1
Apr-050.4
May-051.4
Jun-051.5
Jul-052.1
Aug-052
Sep-050.9
Oct-051.1
Nov-051.5
Dec-052.2
Jan-062.3
Feb-061.1
Mar-061.8
Apr-061.9
May-061.8
Jun-062.9
Jul-063.4
Aug-063.4
Sep-063.9
Oct-064
Nov-063.8
Dec-062.7
Jan-073.4
Feb-074.5
Mar-073.3
Apr-074.3
May-074.1
Jun-073
Jul-073.4
Aug-073.4
Sep-073.4
Oct-073.6
Nov-073.9
Dec-075.4
Jan-084.4
Feb-085.2
Mar-086
Apr-086
May-086.8
Jun-088.2
Jul-087.6
Aug-0810.6
Sep-0810.8
Oct-089.9
Nov-0810.3
Dec-089.1
Jan-099.5
Feb-098.8
Mar-098.6
Apr-097.6
May-096.8
Jun-098.4
Jul-098.4
Aug-094.6
Sep-093.3
Oct-092
Nov-090.9
Dec-090.9
Jan-102.2
Feb-100.7
Mar-100.3
Apr-100.4
May-10-0.5
Jun-10-2
Jul-10-1
Aug-10-0.2
Sep-101.3
Oct-105.1
Nov-104.8
Dec-104.2
Jan-113.8
Feb-115.3
Mar-115.5
Apr-116.1
May-117.4
Jun-117.5
Jul-117.9
Aug-116.6
Sep-114.7
Oct-111.1
Nov-111.9
Dec-112.9
Jan-121
Feb-121.5
Mar-120.2
Apr-120
May-12-0.2
Jun-12-0.2
Jul-12-1.8
Aug-12-0.5
Sep-12-0.3
Oct-120.3
Nov-12-0.6
Dec-12-1
Jan-130.8
Feb-13-0.1
Mar-13-0.4
Apr-13-0.1
May-13-0.1
Jun-130.6
Jul-130.9
Aug-130.3
Sep-131.2
Oct-130.8
Nov-131.4
Dec-131.5
Jan-140.9
Feb-140.2
Mar-141.2
Apr-141.5
May-141.8
Jun-141.2
Jul-14-0.1
Aug-140.7
Sep-14-0.1
Oct-140.9
Nov-140.6
Dec-141
Jan-151.2
Feb-151.5
Mar-151.9
Apr-151
May-150.8
Jun-15-0.1
Jul-151.2
Aug-150.4
Sep-150.7
Oct-15-0.5
Nov-15-0.2
Dec-15-1.3
Jan-16-0.6
Feb-16-0.5
Mar-16-0.1
Apr-160.5
May-16-0.3
Jun-16-0.5
Jul-16-1.3
Aug-160.5
Sep-160.1
Oct-160.6
Nov-160.6
Dec-160.6
Jan-171.4
Feb-172.2
Mar-171.3
Apr-170.2
May-173.1
Jun-173
Jul-173
Aug-172.3
Sep-173
Oct-172.7
Nov-172.3
Dec-172.3
Jan-180.8
Feb-180.1
Mar-181.4
Apr-182.3
May-18-0.1
Jun-180.2
Jul-181.1
Aug-18-0.1
Sep-180.1
Oct-180.6
Nov-180.4
Dec-181
Jan-190.8
Feb-191.7
Mar-191.2
Apr-191
May-191.7
Jun-190.5
Jul-190.9
Aug-192.1
Sep-192.2
Oct-192.5
Nov-192.4
Dec-192.4
Jan-203.5
Feb-203.1
Mar-203.3
Apr-204.4
May-202.9
Jun-204.1
Jul-204.2
Aug-204.2
Sep-203.1
Oct-202.7
Nov-202.6
Dec-202.9
Jan-212.1
Feb-211.2
Mar-210.5
Apr-210.7
May-211.8
Jun-212.8
Jul-212.8
Aug-212.4
Sep-214
Oct-213.7
Nov-214
Dec-214.5
Jan-225.9
Feb-226.8
Mar-227.6
Apr-226.4
May-226.8
Jun-226.6
Jul-227.4
Aug-228.3
Sep-228.3
Oct-2210.1
Nov-2210.7
Dec-2211.3
Jan-2310.3

In January 2023, the annual increase was due to rises across all the broad food categories we measure. Compared with January 2022:

  • grocery food prices increased by 11 percent
  • restaurant meals and ready-to-eat food increased by 8.3 percent
  • fruit and vegetable prices increased by 16 percent
  • meat, poultry, and fish prices increased by 9.2 percent
  • non-alcoholic beverage prices increased by 7.1 percent.

“Increasing prices for cheddar cheese, barn or cage-raised eggs, and potato chips were the largest drivers within grocery food,” consumer prices manager James Mitchell said.

The second-largest contributor to the annual movement was restaurant meals and ready-to-eat food.

Monthly change

Monthly food prices rose 1.7 percent in January 2023 compared with December 2022. After adjusting for seasonal effects, they were up 0.3 percent.

Created with Highcharts 5.0.14PercentFood price index monthly percent change and seasonally adjusted percent change, January 2020–January 2023Food price indexSeasonally adjusted monthly percent changeJan-20Feb-20Mar-20Apr-20May-20Jun-20Jul-20Aug-20Sep-20Oct-20Nov-20Dec-20Jan-21Feb-21Mar-21Apr-21May-21Jun-21Jul-21Aug-21Sep-21Oct-21Nov-21Dec-21Jan-22Feb-22Mar-22Apr-22May-22Jun-22Jul-22Aug-22Sep-22Oct-22Nov-22Dec-22Jan-23-2-10123Stats NZ

Food price index monthly percent change and seasonally adjusted percent change, January 2020–January 2023

Created with Highcharts 5.0.14PercentFood price index monthly percent change and seasonally adjusted percent change, January 2020–January 2023Food price indexSeasonally adjusted monthly percent changeJan-20Feb-20Mar-20Apr-20May-20Jun-20Jul-20Aug-20Sep-20Oct-20Nov-20Dec-20Jan-21Feb-21Mar-21Apr-21May-21Jun-21Jul-21Aug-21Sep-21Oct-21Nov-21Dec-21Jan-22Feb-22Mar-22Apr-22May-22Jun-22Jul-22Aug-22Sep-22Oct-22Nov-22Dec-22Jan-23-2-10123Stats NZ
Month endedFood price indexSeasonally adjusted monthly percent change
Jan-202.10.6
Feb-2000.5
Mar-200.70.2
Apr-2011.1
May-20-0.8-0.8
Jun-200.50.2
Jul-201.20.4
Aug-200.70.5
Sep-20-1-0.6
Oct-20-0.70.2
Nov-20-0.90.1
Dec-200.10.3
Jan-211.3-0.1
Feb-21-0.9-0.4
Mar-210-0.4
Apr-211.11.4
May-210.40.4
Jun-211.41.1
Jul-211.30.3
Aug-210.30.1
Sep-210.51
Oct-21-0.9-0.1
Nov-21-0.60.5
Dec-210.60.6
Jan-222.71.2
Feb-22-0.10.6
Mar-220.70.3
Apr-220.10.3
May-220.70.7
Jun-221.20.9
Jul-222.11.1
Aug-221.10.9
Sep-220.41
Oct-220.81.6
Nov-2201
Dec-221.11.1
Jan-231.70.3

Grocery food was the largest contributor to the monthly movement. Within this group, the items having the greatest impact were boxed chocolates, potato chips, and barn or cage-raised eggs.

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