New Zealanders are seeing the cost of putting food on the table continue to surge and the cost of living crisis continuing to worsen, with yet another increase in the Food Price Index today, National Finance spokesperson Nicola Willis says.

Stats NZ’s Food Price Index, released this morning, shows a 12.1 per cent increase in food prices in the year to March, remaining at record-setting levels.

“Yet again, this Government has overseen another month of soaring food price growth. How can New Zealanders possibly keep up? Kiwis are working harder, only to be continually crushed at the checkout,” Ms Willis says.

“Whether you are picking up some meat from the supermarket, stocking up on veges for dinner, or heading out for a meal, you can’t escape these rising prices.

“Labour must say when and how they will get inflation under control. Annual food price growth has been above 3 per cent since September 2021, and our overall inflation rate at 7.2 per cent is now higher than Canada, the US, Australia, Singapore and Japan.

“This sad state of affairs is an unacceptable result of a Government without a plan to address the underlying causes of inflation

“These sky-high prices can’t just be blamed on overseas factors. Labour have piled new regulations on our farmers, ignored chronic worker shortages, and added additional costs to businesses up and down the country. They must take responsibility here.

“Unlike Labour, National has a plan.

“We would address the underlying drivers of rampant price inflation – focusing the Reserve Bank on a single inflation-busting mandate; reducing costs and regulations being faced by business; fixing worker shortages; bringing discipline to Government spending and reducing the tax Kiwis pay.

“We will back farmers and food producers and work with them to reduce the extra costs that have been piled onto them by Labour.

“National will right the wrongs of this government and get food prices under control. Kiwis can’t afford anything less.”

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