WELLINGTON, April 15 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand food prices rose by 3.5 percent in the 12 months to March 2025, accelerating from a 2.4 percent increase in the year to February, according to the statistics department Stats NZ on Tuesday.

The annual increase in food prices was mainly due to higher prices for the grocery food group and the meat, poultry, and fish group, up 5.1 percent and 5.3 percent, respectively, Stats NZ said.

Offsetting some of the overall price growth were falling costs in the fruit and vegetables category, which declined by 2.7 percent in the year to March, following a larger drop of 6.2 percent in the year to February, it said.

The price increase for grocery food was due to higher prices for milk, butter, and chocolate, with butter prices up 63.6 percent in the 12 months to March, according to Stats NZ prices and deflators spokesperson Nicola Growden.

On a monthly basis, food prices rose 0.5 percent in March, rebounding from a 0.5 percent decline in February, statistics show. Enditem

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