Reference

NZ Food Price Index 2026

Last updated: (latest data: March 2026)

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2.6%
Annual Food Inflation (Apr 2026)
+7.5%
Meat, Poultry & Fish
Monthly
Stats NZ Release

The Food Price Index (FPI) measures how the price of food changes over time in New Zealand. Stats NZ publishes it monthly, tracking five groups: fruit and vegetables; meat, poultry and fish; grocery food; non-alcoholic beverages; and restaurant meals and ready-to-eat food. Food is one of the biggest swings in the household budget, so the FPI is a good gauge of cost-of-living pressure.

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Annual Food Price Change by Group (latest detailed month, February 2026)

GroupAnnual change
All food+4.5%
Meat, poultry and fish+7.5%
Fruit and vegetables+9.4%
Grocery foodModerate
Restaurant meals and ready-to-eat foodModerate
Non-alcoholic beveragesModerate
Source: Stats NZ - Food Price Index. Annual food prices rose 2.6% in the year to April 2026 (the latest month), easing from 3.4% in March and 4.5% in February. The group breakdown above is the most recent detailed month. Figures are released monthly, so check Stats NZ for the latest.

Recent Annual Food Inflation

MonthAnnual change
March 2026+3.4%
February 2026+4.5%
January 2026+4.2%

How the Food Price Index Works

Each month Stats NZ collects thousands of prices for a representative basket of food items from supermarkets, greengrocers, butchers and restaurants. The FPI is one of the major inputs into the quarterly Consumers Price Index (CPI), the official measure of overall inflation. Meat and fresh produce tend to be the most volatile groups, swinging with seasons, weather and export demand.

Source: Stats NZ - Food Price Index. See also our NZ CPI and Inflation reference.

Cite this page NZ Food Price Index 2026. Calculate.co.nz. https://www.calculate.co.nz/reference/nz-food-prices.php (retrieved 16 October 2026). Figures are compiled from the official sources listed above and reviewed twice monthly.