Food prices in largest annual rise in almost a decade
Kiwis are paying more to put a meal on the table as meat prices soar.
Figures from Stats NZ show food prices increased 3.5 per cent in the year to January, the biggest annual jump in almost a decade.
Consumer prices manager Sarah Johnson said prices for meat, poultry, and fish rose 6 per cent, with beef mince and blade steak hitting record highs in January.
Bacon and lamb prices had also risen sharply in the last 12 months, with lower pork production in China increasing export demand and pushing prices up, she said.
Bacon led the surge, jumping 21 per cent to an average price of $13.08 for 700 grams, followed by lamb chops, up 14 per cent to $18.07 per kilogram.
Beef prices also spiked, with mince up 13 per cent to $17.07 per kilogram and blade steak up 8.2 per cent to $20.64 per kilo.
The overall increase was the largest annual rise since 2011, when prices rose 4.7 per cent after a GST increase the previous year, Johnson said.
The higher cost of food meant there had been little change in demand at food banks, despite Government moves to help those in need, Salvation Army community ministry director Jono Bell said.
The organisation’s network of more than 60 food banks distributed 59,722 parcels in 2019, 1700 fewer than in 2018 and about 3000 fewer than the peak of 62,700 parcels in 2017.
‘‘Although that’s a decline, it’s not really noticeable to the people on the frontline,’’ Bell said.
‘‘There are still people lining up for food, essentially.’’
Higher incomes through the Government’s families package and increased availability of hardship grants were likely to have contributed to the slight reduction in demand.
‘‘The Government more than doubled the number of food grants last year so a decrease in demand at our food banks doesn’t necessarily mean fewer people in hardship, it just means they might be getting assistance elsewhere.
‘‘Other agencies, like the Auckland City Mission, have reported much higher demand in the last 18 months and the reality is that there are still a vast number of New Zealanders who don’t have food security.
‘‘That’s unacceptable for a country like New Zealand.’’
‘‘There are still people lining up for food, essentially.’’
Jono Bell
Salvation Army