WELLINGTON, July 10 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand food prices fell 0.7 percent in June, thanks to lower prices for cakes, biscuits, dairy products, fruit and vegetables, New Zealand statistics department Stats NZ said on Wednesday.
“A number of specials on biscuits sent June prices crumbling,” Stats NZ consumer prices manager Gael Price said.
In particular, plain biscuits, such as arrowroot, ginger, malt, and wine, fell 14 percent to 1.92 New Zealand dollars per 250 grams.
Overall, cake and biscuit prices fell 3.7 percent in June and decreased 1.7 percent in the year to June 2019.
Honey prices decreased 15 percent in the year to June 2019. Clover honey prices hit a record-high average of 11.64 dollars per 500g in August 2017, but have been steadily falling since then.
Also contributing to lower food prices in June 2019 were prices for yoghurt, which went down 9.1 percent, cheese, decreasing 4.3 percent, and butter, declining 1.9 percent year on. These drops were partly offset by higher prices for chocolate and eggs.
“Prices for dairy products have softened a bit compared with last month, when prices for all of them rose,” Price said.
Fruit and vegetable prices fell by 2.1 percent in June 2019, 8.8 percent lower than they were in June 2018.
Tomato prices, which used to hike during winter time, decreased 17 percent in the year to June 2019.
“The average price for tomatoes was 5.28 dollars per kg in June. This is the lowest price they have been in a June month since our series began,” Price said.
Avocado prices have returned to normal levels as the new season’s supply hit the market. The price of a 200g avocado fell to 2.99 dollars in June 2019, 31 percent cheaper than in June last year, and down from a record high of 5.73 dollars in May. (1 New Zealand dollar equals 0.66 U.S. dollar)
