February food prices up 1.7% on year as meat, poultry and fish prices rise

February food prices up 1.7% on year as meat, poultry and fish prices rise
Rebecca Howard
By Rebecca Howard March 13 (BusinessDesk) - Food prices rose 1.7 percent on the year in February, driven by a lift in meat, poultry, and fish prices and restaurant and ready-to-eat food. Meat, poultry and fish prices rose 3.5 percent on the year while restaurant meals and ready-to-eat food prices lifted 2.9 percent, Stats NZ said. Fruit and vegetable prices were down 0.6 percent on the year while grocery food prices lifted 0.8 percent and non-alcoholic beverages were up 2.7 percent.  The 1.7 percent annual rise was the largest since la...