Food prices fell in February, led by declines in beef and chicken.
Fruit and vegetables. Photo: 123RF
Official figures show the cost of food fell 0.5 percent last month, compared with a 1.2 percent rise in January.
Beef fell 4.4 percent from a year ago, while chicken decreased 3.4 percent. The average price for cheapest available chicken breast was $12.83 a kilo, down from $13.94 the previous month.
Grocery food prices fell 0.7 percent, with lower prices for chocolate.
Fruit and vegetable prices also declined, down 4.4 percent.
"Apples, pumpkin, and kumara are coming down after months of high prices," Stats NZ consumer prices manager Geoffrey Wong said.
Despite the overall fall in fruit and vegetables, some crops experienced sharp increases.
Lettuce prices rose a third last month, the largest monthly rise for a February since 2013. The average price for a 500g head of lettuce was $2.26 in February, compared with $1.80 in February last year.
"In recent weeks, a combination of humid weather and Cyclone Gita have affected some crops," Mr Wong said.
"As this occurred towards the end of February, we may continue to see higher prices in March."
On an annual basis, prices inched up 0.1 percent.