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Carrots, vegetables - Source: ONE News -
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Food prices dropped 0.9% in August - the biggest monthly fall of the food price index in three and a half years.
Statistics New Zealand says lower prices for groceries, and fruit and vegetables accounted for nearly all of the decrease.
In the month, grocery food prices fell 1.3%, with bread down 2.7%, chocolate biscuits falling 6.3%, and cheddar cheese dipping 6.2%.
Statistics New Zealand says prices for cheddar cheese, milk, and butter have returned to levels last seen in late 2007 or early 2008.
Fruit and vegetable prices declined 3.3%, driven by lower prices for tomatoes, strawberries, broccoli and avocados.
For the year to August 2009, food prices rose 4.6%, which is the smallest annual increase since January 2008.
Four subgroups have recorded increases, with grocery food up 4.4%, meat, poultry and fish rising 9.2%, non-alcoholic beverages up 7.9%, and restaurant meals and ready-to-eat food jumping up 3.7%.
The fruit and vegetables subgroup fell 1.1% in the year to August, its first annual fall since early 2008.
The most significant decline came from lower prices for lettuce, which fell 15.9% from a high reached in August last year due to unusually wet weather.
