The government should directly intervene in New Zealand’s grocery sector, according to a new Consumer NZ survey which revealed the public’s appetite for Australian-style supermarket penalties.
World food commodity prices remained broadly stable in May, as declines in vegetable oil quotations offset increases in those for cereals and sugar, according the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations.
The government is bringing forward a Fair Trading Amendment Bill which will introduce tougher penalties for misleading pricing.
Food prices increased 2.6% in the 12 months to April 2026, following a 3.4% rise in the 12 months to March 2026, according to the latest data from Stats NZ.
Only some limited increases for produce showed through so far, with wider cost changes related to the Middle East conflict still in the pipeline.
Imported butter is now cheaper than New Zealand exports. Is this a relief to shoppers and a risk to farmers’ social licence, asks Simplicity’s Shamubeel Eaqub.
The “long shadow” of the Middle East conflict is derailing early-year economic momentum, with a widespread fuel shock forcing businesses to absorb “unsustainable” costs, according to Westpac.
The Woolworths and Coles court cases could effectively set the rules for what “truth in advertising” means for every retailer in Australia, says law professor Jeannie Marie Paterson.
The rapid escalation of the Iran War and its impact on fuel prices has created a cost-absorption gap for suppliers reliant on supermarkets for any kind of pricing relief, says Daniel Shields.
Annual inflation held at 3.1% in the 12 months to March, according to the latest Consumer Price Index.
Foodstuffs recorded an average year-on-year retail price increase of 3.7% across its comparable Stats NZ Food Price Inflation basket, which came in at 3.4% for March.
Takeaway coffee, white bread, and beef mince were identified as contributing to a 3.4% increase in annual food prices in March.
