Meals costs rose 0.3% in August 2021 in contrast with the earlier month, primarily influenced by greater costs for meat, poultry, and fish, Statistics New Zealand (Stats NZ) have introduced.
The rises in meals costs for August, whereas modest, mark a fifth consecutive month-to-month rise.
Meat, poultry and fish costs had been up 1.3% in August.
This was primarily influenced by greater costs for roasting pork (up 11%), sausages (up 3.5%), lamb chops (up 5.4%) and porterhouse and sirloin steak (up 2.3%).
This was partially offset by decrease costs for rooster, which had been down 3.3%.
“Covid-19 restrictions had a minimal impact on worth assortment in August,” says Stats NZ client costs supervisor Katrina Dewbery.
Fruit and vegetable costs additionally elevated in August, up 0.4%. This was largely on account of greater costs for tomatoes (up 16%) and grapes (up 32%).
Nonetheless, after adjusting for seasonal results, fruit and vegetable costs fell by 0.2%.
“The weighted common worth of each tomatoes and grapes rose sharply to $15.79 and $11.52 per kilogram, respectively,” Dewbery says.
“The costs of tomatoes beforehand peaked at $13.65 in August 2020, whereas grape costs peaked at $10.61 in November 2020,” Dewbery says.
These rises had been partly offset by falling costs for broccoli (down 26%), strawberries (down 19%), capsicums (down 12%), and avocados (down 21%).
