New Zealand Food Inflation Hits 14-Month High in March

2025-04-14 22:52 By Mojdeh Kazemi 1 min. read

Annual food inflation in New Zealand accelerated to 3.5% in March 2025, up from 2.4% in February, marking the highest rate since January 2024.

Grocery food and meat, poultry, and fish categories drove the increase, with prices up 5.1% and 5.3%, respectively.

Grocery price hikes were largely due to sharp increases in milk, butter, and chocolate, with butter jumping 63.6% and milk rising 16.0% year-over-year.

Beef products also saw notable gains.

Offsetting some of these increases, fruit and vegetable prices fell 2.7% annually, following a 6.2% decline in February.

Despite this moderation, rising costs for essential staples continue to place pressure on household budgets.

On a monthly basis, food prices rose 0.5% following a 0.5% fall in February.



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