Food prices fell 0.1 percent between October and November. Photo: 123RF
Food prices inched down in November - but some shoppers are said to be getting the best prices they have in years.
Food prices fell 0.1 percent between October and November and were up 1.3 percent over the year.
Vegetable prices were down 7.9 percent, and fruit prices up 4 percent.
"This was the third consecutive month that we have seen price falls for vegetables, alongside rising prices for fruit," Stats NZ's prices and deflators spokesperson Nicola Growden said.
"In November, tomatoes, broccoli, and cucumber were cheaper, while apples, grapes, and kiwifruit pushed up fruit prices."
Ajay Jina, of Jina's World of Fresh Produce, said it was getting towards the off-season for some fruit, which affected prices.
"Apples and kiwifruit - although product is available, supply is reducing. New season apples won't be far away. We're in what you call the shoulders of the season.
"Towards the end of January we'll start with New Zealand apples again straight off the tree and then a few more months after that the kiwifruit will start. Grapes are all imported, and sadly our New Zealand dollar is not worth a lot."
More summer fruit was coming in, he said, such as nectarines, peaches, apricots and plums. "The production and supply of New Zealand summer fruit is starting to ramp up and bigger regions such as Otago are striating to produce more. As the supply starts to come more on stream the price will come down."
Cherries would be cheap and plentiful after Christmas, he said.
Jina said drops in vegetable prices were driven by the significantly better weather this year.
"Thankfully this year is a very good growing year for a lot of produce. We haven't had the impacts we had last year from Cyclone Gabrielle and the Auckland floods that hit Pukekohe and some of the other main growing areas. Our growers have had a huge reprieve this year and prices are far more reasonable.
"In all honesty we haven't seen prices like this for many years."
But he said grower costs were generally up and that was likely to be an ongoing trend.
Other items that contributed to the monthly fall in food prices included boxed chocolates, chocolate biscuits, and steak.
These falls were partly offset by rising prices for cheddar cheese and instant coffee.
Westpac senior economist Satish Ranchhod said it was notable that prices for takeaway food and restaurant meals continued to rise only gradually, which he said was consistent with tough trading conditions.
"Overall, November's update on consumer prices reinforced the picture of well contained inflation pressures heading into the new year. We're forecasting a 0.4 percent rise in prices over the December quarter, with some small downside risk to the number. We continue to expect that inflation will track close to 2 percent over the coming months."
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