January food prices rise 0.8% from year earlier

January food prices rise 0.8% from year earlier
Gavin Evans
By Gavin Evans Feb. 14 (BusinessDesk) - Food prices in January were 0.8 percent higher than a year earlier, driven by higher meat, grocery and take-away costs. Higher costs for restaurant meals and ready-to-eat food made the biggest contribution to the increase in Stats NZ’s food price index. Ready-to-eat food prices rose 3.3 percent in January compared to January 2018. Meanwhile milk, cheese and eggs were 2.9 percent higher, while restaurant meals cost 2.3 percent more. Meat, poultry and fish prices were 1.9 percent higher. Those i...