Food price index review: 2011

The food price index (FPI) measures changes in the prices that households pay for food. Statistics NZ has completed a review of the FPI as part of a wider, three-yearly consumers price index review. The review involved updating the basket of representative food items being tracked for the FPI, and reviewing the relative importance of food items in the basket.

The new relative importance of the FPI subgroups shows that about $38 of every $100 households spend on food, is spent on grocery food. About $21 is spent on eating out or takeaways and about $16 is spent on meat, poultry, and fish. Fruit and vegetables account for $14, and the remaining $11 is spent on non-alcoholic beverages, such as soft drinks and juices.

Four items have been added to the FPI basket:

• dried apricots
• frozen berries
• frozen chicken nuggets
• flatbread

No items were removed.

Source:  Statistics New Zealand