WELLINGTON, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- Rising meat prices drove food prices up in July, New Zealand's statistics department Stats NZ said on Tuesday.
Meat and poultry prices rose 2.8 percent, with higher prices for chicken, lamb, and beef, partly offset by falling pork prices, Stats NZ said.
Overall, food prices rose 1.1 percent in July.
Chicken pieces were a big driver of the monthly price rise, up 7 percent. As well as being a big contributor to the monthly change, chicken pieces were up 8.8 percent annually.
Lamb chop prices reached an all-time high in July, up 1.7 percent. Retail lamb prices rose in line with international commodity prices, consumer prices manager Sarah Johnson said in a statement.
Vegetable prices were another big driver of the rise in food prices, up 3.7 percent for the month. However, vegetable prices decreased 17 percent annually. Tomatoes made the biggest contribution to the monthly movement, statistics show.
"Seasonal vegetables are still experiencing the usual price rise in July, although the increases are smaller than in the previous couple of years due to better weather conditions," Johnson said.
