Food prices were unchanged in September compared with August although they were 1.2% higher than a year ago.
Fruit and vegetable prices fell 4.3% in the month while grocery prices and meat, poultry and fish prices each rose 0.9%, latest Statistics New Zealand figures show.
Statistics New Zealand's prices manager Chris Pike says seasonally cheaper vegetable prices, particularly for lettuces, tomatoes and capsicums, were countered by more expensive fresh milk, cakes and biscuits.
Mr Pike says the average price of the cheapest available two-litre container of blue-top milk rose from $3.17 to $3.42.
Restaurant meals and ready-to-eat food prices rose 0.8% compared with August.
Compared with September last year, fruit and vegetable prices were 0.3% lower while prices of meat poultry and fish rose by the same amount.
The annual increase in grocery prices was 2% and restaurant and ready-to-eat meals were up 1.1% from a year earlier.
