Stuff
We have been checking on the same basket of goods each month for a year.
Over the past year, Stuff has been tracking the price of a basket of 22 grocery items at Pak’nSave, New World and Countdown supermarkets in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
The items include commonly bought things such as tomatoes, potatoes, onions, frozen vegetables, ham, mince, bread and chicken breasts.
It has provided a number of insights – including that dairy prices often fluctuate, broccoli went through a rough patch, ice cream is often cheaper in summer and tomato prices change more than the weather.
But how do prices today compare to August last year?
In Christchurch, at Countdown Moorhouse the total basket price was $126.29 in August last year and this month came to $141.51 – an increase of 12.05%.
Down the road (literally) at Pak’nSave Moorhouse, prices had increased 7.26% year-on-year, going from $121.06 to $129.86, meanwhile at New World Durham St, prices only increased 3.3%, going from $138.17 to $142.74.
Auckland’s New World Mt Roskill had the largest increase, of 19%, from $126.88 to $151.01.
At Countdown the basket price increased 11.60% and at Pak’nSave Mt Albert it increased just 1.42% – up less than $2 from the same time last year.
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Data from Foodstuffs shows crime in North Island supermarkets – which include Pak’nSave, New World and Four Square – has increased by 59% over the past year. (This video has no sound)
In Wellington, the basket total at Countdown Porirua increased 8.95% year-on-year, jumping from $126.30 to $137.61, while New World Miramar went from $127.88 to $136.19 – an increase of 6.49% and Pak’nSave Kilbirnie had an 5.81% increase – from $115.99 to $122.74.
It comes as food price rises are finally showing signs of easing. They increased 9.6% in the 12 months ended July, according to Stats NZ but fell 0.5% month-on-month.
According to the Stuff data, eggs had the largest price increase in the year, mainly due to caged eggs being phased out, which caused production costs to rise and a shortage.
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Eggs had the biggest price increase in the year.
Beef mince and chicken breast prices also increased across the board.
A Countdown spokesperson said the supermarket was conscious of the impact that inflation had on families.
“As has been widely reported, we’ve seen record cost increases coming through from our suppliers in the last year as they too have faced higher input costs including on raw materials, packaging, freight and transportation, along with the impact of extreme weather conditions.
“We are starting to see some positive signs for our customers. In fact, on some of our key fruit and vegetable lines, right now we’re seeing lower prices than this time last year. We hope that things will continue to improve as we head into the warmer months.”
A Foodstuffs spokesperson said many items had stayed the same or come down in price since 2022.
“For produce, the specific type might vary from store and the shelf price can be influenced by a number of reasons including the volume available from the grower, the quality of the produce and how far the produce has to travel. Our stores are owned by local grocers who have the flexibility to purchase fresh produce direct, often from local businesses.
“Some items such as eggs and potatoes we know have had ongoing supply issues which in turn can impact price. Our data tells us that customers don’t buy the same products every time they shop with us, their weekly shop is influenced by what might be on special or offer that week and we are absolutely focused on helping our customers find value.”
