Food prices were 11.3 percent higher in December 2022 than they were in December 2021, Stats NZ said today.
This is the biggest annual increase since April 1990, when food prices increased by 11.4 percent.
| “Month ended” | “Food price index” |
| “Jan-90” | 11.8 |
| “Feb-90” | 9.9 |
| “Mar-90” | 11 |
| “Apr-90” | 11.4 |
| “May-90” | 10.7 |
| “Jun-90” | 10 |
| “Jul-90” | 6 |
| “Aug-90” | 4.9 |
| “Sep-90” | 4.6 |
| “Oct-90” | 3.3 |
| “Nov-90” | 3.2 |
| “Dec-90” | 3.3 |
| “Jan-91” | 3.9 |
| “Feb-91” | 3.5 |
| “Mar-91” | 2.7 |
| “Apr-91” | 1.3 |
| “May-91” | 1.2 |
| “Jun-91” | 0.5 |
| “Jul-91” | 0.7 |
| “Aug-91” | 0.4 |
| “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-92” | 0.4 |
| “Sep-92” | 1 |
| “Oct-92” | 1.9 |
| “Nov-92” | 1.5 |
| “Dec-92” | 1.8 |
| “Jan-93” | 2.9 |
| “Feb-93” | 3.1 |
| “Mar-93” | 2.1 |
| “Apr-93” | 2.3 |
| “May-93” | 1.3 |
| “Jun-93” | 0.7 |
| “Jul-93” | 1 |
| “Aug-93” | 0.6 |
| “Sep-93” | 0 |
| “Oct-93” | 0.1 |
| “Nov-93” | 0.1 |
| “Dec-93” | -0.3 |
| “Jan-94” | -0.9 |
| “Feb-94” | -0.3 |
| “Mar-94” | 0.2 |
| “Apr-94” | -0.1 |
| “May-94” | -0.2 |
| “Jun-94” | 0.4 |
| “Jul-94” | -0.1 |
| “Aug-94” | -0.3 |
| “Sep-94” | -0.5 |
| “Oct-94” | 0.3 |
| “Nov-94” | 0.3 |
| “Dec-94” | 1.8 |
| “Jan-95” | 1.3 |
| “Feb-95” | 0.4 |
| “Mar-95” | 0.9 |
| “Apr-95” | 1.9 |
| “May-95” | 3.5 |
| “Jun-95” | 2.2 |
| “Jul-95” | 0.8 |
| “Aug-95” | 0.7 |
| “Sep-95” | 1 |
| “Oct-95” | 0.4 |
| “Nov-95” | 1.8 |
| “Dec-95” | 0.6 |
| “Jan-96” | 0.3 |
| “Feb-96” | -0.1 |
| “Mar-96” | 0.5 |
| “Apr-96” | 0.5 |
| “May-96” | 0 |
| “Jun-96” | 1.1 |
| “Jul-96” | 2.2 |
| “Aug-96” | 2.4 |
| “Sep-96” | 3.1 |
| “Oct-96” | 3.2 |
| “Nov-96” | 2.1 |
| “Dec-96” | 1.7 |
| “Jan-97” | 2.4 |
| “Feb-97” | 2.7 |
| “Mar-97” | 3.6 |
| “Apr-97” | 3.4 |
| “May-97” | 1.7 |
| “Jun-97” | 2 |
| “Jul-97” | 2.7 |
| “Aug-97” | 2 |
| “Sep-97” | 1.3 |
| “Oct-97” | 1 |
| “Nov-97” | 0.9 |
| “Dec-97” | 1.8 |
| “Jan-98” | 2.1 |
| “Feb-98” | 2.7 |
| “Mar-98” | 2.2 |
| “Apr-98” | 2.7 |
| “May-98” | 2.6 |
| “Jun-98” | 2.8 |
| “Jul-98” | 2.8 |
| “Aug-98” | 4.2 |
| “Sep-98” | 4.2 |
| “Oct-98” | 4.4 |
| “Nov-98” | 4.3 |
| “Dec-98” | 3.6 |
| “Jan-99” | 3.6 |
| “Feb-99” | 3.9 |
| “Mar-99” | 2.4 |
| “Apr-99” | 1.7 |
| “May-99” | 2.4 |
| “Jun-99” | 1.4 |
| “Jul-99” | 1.1 |
| “Aug-99” | -0.6 |
| “Sep-99” | -0.3 |
| “Oct-99” | -1.2 |
| “Nov-99” | -0.3 |
| “Dec-99” | -0.5 |
| “Jan-00” | 1.1 |
| “Feb-00” | -1.1 |
| “Mar-00” | -0.2 |
| “Apr-00” | -0.7 |
| “May-00” | -0.2 |
| “Jun-00” | 1.7 |
| “Jul-00” | 1.4 |
| “Aug-00” | 2 |
| “Sep-00” | 2 |
| “Oct-00” | 2.9 |
| “Nov-00” | 3.5 |
| “Dec-00” | 4.8 |
| “Jan-01” | 4 |
| “Feb-01” | 5.7 |
| “Mar-01” | 5.1 |
| “Apr-01” | 6 |
| “May-01” | 6.2 |
| “Jun-01” | 5.7 |
| “Jul-01” | 5.8 |
| “Aug-01” | 6.3 |
| “Sep-01” | 7.8 |
| “Oct-01” | 7.7 |
| “Nov-01” | 6.7 |
| “Dec-01” | 5.8 |
| “Jan-02” | 5.6 |
| “Feb-02” | 4.5 |
| “Mar-02” | 5.5 |
| “Apr-02” | 5.2 |
| “May-02” | 4 |
| “Jun-02” | 3 |
| “Jul-02” | 3.3 |
| “Aug-02” | 3 |
| “Sep-02” | 1.4 |
| “Oct-02” | 1.7 |
| “Nov-02” | 1.2 |
| “Dec-02” | 0.6 |
| “Jan-03” | 0 |
| “Feb-03” | 0.6 |
| “Mar-03” | -0.3 |
| “Apr-03” | -0.7 |
| “May-03” | 0.8 |
| “Jun-03” | 0.6 |
| “Jul-03” | 0.7 |
| “Aug-03” | 0.2 |
| “Sep-03” | 0 |
| “Oct-03” | -0.3 |
| “Nov-03” | 0.4 |
| “Dec-03” | 0.6 |
| “Jan-04” | -0.2 |
| “Feb-04” | 0.1 |
| “Mar-04” | 1.5 |
| “Apr-04” | 1.7 |
| “May-04” | 0.5 |
| “Jun-04” | 0.9 |
| “Jul-04” | -0.1 |
| “Aug-04” | 0.4 |
| “Sep-04” | 1.3 |
| “Oct-04” | 1.1 |
| “Nov-04” | 0.8 |
| “Dec-04” | 1.2 |
| “Jan-05” | 1.8 |
| “Feb-05” | 1.7 |
| “Mar-05” | 1.1 |
| “Apr-05” | 0.4 |
| “May-05” | 1.4 |
| “Jun-05” | 1.5 |
| “Jul-05” | 2.1 |
| “Aug-05” | 2 |
| “Sep-05” | 0.9 |
| “Oct-05” | 1.1 |
| “Nov-05” | 1.5 |
| “Dec-05” | 2.2 |
| “Jan-06” | 2.3 |
| “Feb-06” | 1.1 |
| “Mar-06” | 1.8 |
| “Apr-06” | 1.9 |
| “May-06” | 1.8 |
| “Jun-06” | 2.9 |
| “Jul-06” | 3.4 |
| “Aug-06” | 3.4 |
| “Sep-06” | 3.9 |
| “Oct-06” | 4 |
| “Nov-06” | 3.8 |
| “Dec-06” | 2.7 |
| “Jan-07” | 3.4 |
| “Feb-07” | 4.5 |
| “Mar-07” | 3.3 |
| “Apr-07” | 4.3 |
| “May-07” | 4.1 |
| “Jun-07” | 3 |
| “Jul-07” | 3.4 |
| “Aug-07” | 3.4 |
| “Sep-07” | 3.4 |
| “Oct-07” | 3.6 |
| “Nov-07” | 3.9 |
| “Dec-07” | 5.4 |
| “Jan-08” | 4.4 |
| “Feb-08” | 5.2 |
| “Mar-08” | 6 |
| “Apr-08” | 6 |
| “May-08” | 6.8 |
| “Jun-08” | 8.2 |
| “Jul-08” | 7.6 |
| “Aug-08” | 10.6 |
| “Sep-08” | 10.8 |
| “Oct-08” | 9.9 |
| “Nov-08” | 10.3 |
| “Dec-08” | 9.1 |
| “Jan-09” | 9.5 |
| “Feb-09” | 8.8 |
| “Mar-09” | 8.6 |
| “Apr-09” | 7.6 |
| “May-09” | 6.8 |
| “Jun-09” | 8.4 |
| “Jul-09” | 8.4 |
| “Aug-09” | 4.6 |
| “Sep-09” | 3.3 |
| “Oct-09” | 2 |
| “Nov-09” | 0.9 |
| “Dec-09” | 0.9 |
| “Jan-10” | 2.2 |
| “Feb-10” | 0.7 |
| “Mar-10” | 0.3 |
| “Apr-10” | 0.4 |
| “May-10” | -0.5 |
| “Jun-10” | -2 |
| “Jul-10” | -1 |
| “Aug-10” | -0.2 |
| “Sep-10” | 1.3 |
| “Oct-10” | 5.1 |
| “Nov-10” | 4.8 |
| “Dec-10” | 4.2 |
| “Jan-11” | 3.8 |
| “Feb-11” | 5.3 |
| “Mar-11” | 5.5 |
| “Apr-11” | 6.1 |
| “May-11” | 7.4 |
| “Jun-11” | 7.5 |
| “Jul-11” | 7.9 |
| “Aug-11” | 6.6 |
| “Sep-11” | 4.7 |
| “Oct-11” | 1.1 |
| “Nov-11” | 1.9 |
| “Dec-11” | 2.9 |
| “Jan-12” | 1 |
| “Feb-12” | 1.5 |
| “Mar-12” | 0.2 |
| “Apr-12” | 0 |
| “May-12” | -0.2 |
| “Jun-12” | -0.2 |
| “Jul-12” | -1.8 |
| “Aug-12” | -0.5 |
| “Sep-12” | -0.3 |
| “Oct-12” | 0.3 |
| “Nov-12” | -0.6 |
| “Dec-12” | -1 |
| “Jan-13” | 0.8 |
| “Feb-13” | -0.1 |
| “Mar-13” | -0.4 |
| “Apr-13” | -0.1 |
| “May-13” | -0.1 |
| “Jun-13” | 0.6 |
| “Jul-13” | 0.9 |
| “Aug-13” | 0.3 |
| “Sep-13” | 1.2 |
| “Oct-13” | 0.8 |
| “Nov-13” | 1.4 |
| “Dec-13” | 1.5 |
| “Jan-14” | 0.9 |
| “Feb-14” | 0.2 |
| “Mar-14” | 1.2 |
| “Apr-14” | 1.5 |
| “May-14” | 1.8 |
| “Jun-14” | 1.2 |
| “Jul-14” | -0.1 |
| “Aug-14” | 0.7 |
| “Sep-14” | -0.1 |
| “Oct-14” | 0.9 |
| “Nov-14” | 0.6 |
| “Dec-14” | 1 |
| “Jan-15” | 1.2 |
| “Feb-15” | 1.5 |
| “Mar-15” | 1.9 |
| “Apr-15” | 1 |
| “May-15” | 0.8 |
| “Jun-15” | -0.1 |
| “Jul-15” | 1.2 |
| “Aug-15” | 0.4 |
| “Sep-15” | 0.7 |
| “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-16” | 0.5 |
| “May-16” | -0.3 |
| “Jun-16” | -0.5 |
| “Jul-16” | -1.3 |
| “Aug-16” | 0.5 |
| “Sep-16” | 0.1 |
| “Oct-16” | 0.6 |
| “Nov-16” | 0.6 |
| “Dec-16” | 0.6 |
| “Jan-17” | 1.4 |
| “Feb-17” | 2.2 |
| “Mar-17” | 1.3 |
| “Apr-17” | 0.2 |
| “May-17” | 3.1 |
| “Jun-17” | 3 |
| “Jul-17” | 3 |
| “Aug-17” | 2.3 |
| “Sep-17” | 3 |
| “Oct-17” | 2.7 |
| “Nov-17” | 2.3 |
| “Dec-17” | 2.3 |
| “Jan-18” | 0.8 |
| “Feb-18” | 0.1 |
| “Mar-18” | 1.4 |
| “Apr-18” | 2.3 |
| “May-18” | -0.1 |
| “Jun-18” | 0.2 |
| “Jul-18” | 1.1 |
| “Aug-18” | -0.1 |
| “Sep-18” | 0.1 |
| “Oct-18” | 0.6 |
| “Nov-18” | 0.4 |
| “Dec-18” | 1 |
| “Jan-19” | 0.8 |
| “Feb-19” | 1.7 |
| “Mar-19” | 1.2 |
| “Apr-19” | 1 |
| “May-19” | 1.7 |
| “Jun-19” | 0.5 |
| “Jul-19” | 0.9 |
| “Aug-19” | 2.1 |
| “Sep-19” | 2.2 |
| “Oct-19” | 2.5 |
| “Nov-19” | 2.4 |
| “Dec-19” | 2.4 |
| “Jan-20” | 3.5 |
| “Feb-20” | 3.1 |
| “Mar-20” | 3.3 |
| “Apr-20” | 4.4 |
| “May-20” | 2.9 |
| “Jun-20” | 4.1 |
| “Jul-20” | 4.2 |
| “Aug-20” | 4.2 |
| “Sep-20” | 3.1 |
| “Oct-20” | 2.7 |
| “Nov-20” | 2.6 |
| “Dec-20” | 2.9 |
| “Jan-21” | 2.1 |
| “Feb-21” | 1.2 |
| “Mar-21” | 0.5 |
| “Apr-21” | 0.7 |
| “May-21” | 1.8 |
| “Jun-21” | 2.8 |
| “Jul-21” | 2.8 |
| “Aug-21” | 2.4 |
| “Sep-21” | 4 |
| “Oct-21” | 3.7 |
| “Nov-21” | 4 |
| “Dec-21” | 4.5 |
| “Jan-22” | 5.9 |
| “Feb-22” | 6.8 |
| “Mar-22” | 7.6 |
| “Apr-22” | 6.4 |
| “May-22” | 6.8 |
| “Jun-22” | 6.6 |
| “Jul-22” | 7.4 |
| “Aug-22” | 8.3 |
| “Sep-22” | 8.3 |
| “Oct-22” | 10.1 |
| “Nov-22” | 10.7 |
| “Dec-22” | 11.3 |
In December 2022, the annual increase was due to rises across all the broad food categories we measure. Compared with December 2021:
- grocery food prices increased by 11 percent
- fruit and vegetable prices increased by 23 percent
- restaurant meals and ready-to-eat food increased by 7.8 percent
- meat, poultry, and fish prices increased by 11 percent
- non-alcoholic beverage prices increased by 7.3 percent.
Grocery food was the largest contributor to this movement.
“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 fruit and vegetables.
The items within this group that influenced this movement the most were kiwifruit, potatoes, and tomatoes.
Monthly change
Monthly food prices rose 1.1 percent in December 2022 compared with November 2022. After adjusting for seasonal effects, they were up 1.1 percent.
| Month | Monthly percentage change |
| Dec-19 | -0.2 |
| Jan-20 | 2.1 |
| Feb-20 | 0 |
| Mar-20 | 0.7 |
| Apr-20 | 1 |
| May-20 | -0.8 |
| Jun-20 | 0.5 |
| Jul-20 | 1.2 |
| Aug-20 | 0.7 |
| Sep-20 | -1 |
| Oct-20 | -0.7 |
| Nov-20 | -0.9 |
| Dec-20 | 0.1 |
| Jan-21 | 1.3 |
| Feb-21 | -0.9 |
| Mar-21 | 0 |
| Apr-21 | 1.1 |
| May-21 | 0.4 |
| Jun-21 | 1.4 |
| Jul-21 | 1.3 |
| Aug-21 | 0.3 |
| Sep-21 | 0.5 |
| Oct-21 | -0.9 |
| Nov-21 | -0.6 |
| Dec-21 | 0.6 |
| Jan-22 | 2.7 |
| Feb-22 | -0.1 |
| Mar-22 | 0.7 |
| Apr-22 | 0.1 |
| May-22 | 0.7 |
| Jun-22 | 1.2 |
| Jul-22 | 2.1 |
| Aug-22 | 1.1 |
| Sep-22 | 0.4 |
| Oct-22 | 0.8 |
| Nov-22 | 0 |
| Dec-22 | 1.1 |
| Month | Seasonally adjusted monthly percentage change |
| Dec-19 | 0.1 |
| Jan-20 | 0.6 |
| Feb-20 | 0.5 |
| Mar-20 | 0.2 |
| Apr-20 | 1.1 |
| May-20 | -0.8 |
| Jun-20 | 0.2 |
| Jul-20 | 0.4 |
| Aug-20 | 0.5 |
| Sep-20 | -0.6 |
| Oct-20 | 0.2 |
| Nov-20 | 0.1 |
| Dec-20 | 0.3 |
| Jan-21 | 0 |
| Feb-21 | -0.4 |
| Mar-21 | -0.4 |
| Apr-21 | 1.4 |
| May-21 | 0.4 |
| Jun-21 | 1.1 |
| Jul-21 | 0.3 |
| Aug-21 | 0.1 |
| Sep-21 | 1 |
| Oct-21 | -0.1 |
| Nov-21 | 0.5 |
| Dec-21 | 0.6 |
| Jan-22 | 1.3 |
| Feb-22 | 0.5 |
| Mar-22 | 0.3 |
| Apr-22 | 0.3 |
| May-22 | 0.7 |
| Jun-22 | 0.8 |
| Jul-22 | 1.1 |
| Aug-22 | 0.9 |
| Sep-22 | 1 |
| Oct-22 | 1.6 |
| Nov-22 | 1 |
| Dec-22 | 1.1 |
Fruit and vegetables were the largest contributor to the monthly movement. Within this group, the items having the greatest impact were tomatoes, kiwifruit, and potatoes.
/Stats NZ Public Release. View in full here.
