In May 2022, the annual increase was due to rises across all the broad food categories we measure: 

• grocery food prices increased 7.4 per cent
• restaurant meals and ready-to-eat food prices increased 6.0 per cent
• fruit and vegetable prices increased 10 per cent
• meat, poultry, and fish prices increased 7.0 per cent
• non-alcoholic beverage prices increased 2.7 per cent.

Grocery food was the largest contributor to this movement, with increasing prices for restaurant meals and ready-to-eat food providing the second largest contribution.

"Average prices for grocery food items like yoghurt, milk, and cheese were all notably higher than they were in May 2021," says consumer prices manager Katrina Dewbery.

"The increase in restaurant meals and ready-to-eat food was influenced by rising prices of eat-in lunch/brunch meals at restaurants." 

Increase in cost of yoghurt drives monthly increase in food prices

Monthly, food prices were 0.7 per cent higher in May 2022 compared with April 2022.

A 1.1 per cent rise in grocery food prices was the largest contributor to the monthly movement, led by an increase in yoghurt prices.