Wellington, July 13 (IANS) New Zealand's annual food prices were 12.5 percent higher in June 2023 than in June 2022, the national statistics department said on Thursday.

Stats NZ said last month the annual increase was due to rises across all the broad food categories measured, with grocery food prices increasing 12.8 per cent, fruit and vegetable prices up 22 per cent, meat, poultry, and fish prices increasing 11 per cent, and non-alcoholic beverage prices up 9.7 per cent, reports Xinhua news agency.

"Increasing prices for fresh eggs, six-pack yogurt, and cheddar cheese were the largest drivers within grocery food," Stats NZ's consumer prices manager James Mitchell said.

The second largest contributor to the annual movement was fruit and vegetables.

The increase in this group was driven by tomatoes, kumara, and potatoes.

Monthly food prices rose 1.6 per cent in June 2023 compared with May 2023, statistics show.