Food prices inflation -- what planet does SNZ live on?

sunshinenz on 12/11/2022 - 12:07

So Stats NZ data show food prices were 10.1 percent higher in October 2022, compared to October 2021.

I think 20% would be closer to reality. Of the foods I buy (rice, pasta, meats, seafood, fruits, vegetables, soft drinks, juices, milk, yoghurt, eggs, flour, sugar, deli, ice cream, other frozen foods, even eating out, etc), I can't think of a single item whose price has risen by less than 10% in the last year. Can you? Everything has risen by 20-50% for me. What planet does Statistics New Zealand live on??

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  • Alan6984 on 12/11/2022 - 14:04
    +2

    Just to take a single example from your list, but rice has not increased. Basic white rice at PNS was $1.80 per kg many years ago, and still the same today, so no inflation there:

    https://www.paknsave.co.nz/shop/product/5092409_ea_000pns?na…

    I can't recall how long, but I would say it has been the same price for at least five years, and might be even longer.

    I'm not saying that there haven't been price rises - obviously there have been, but it is very easy to get an idea stuck in our heads, and then see evidence for it when we go looking for such.

    You also have to consider that Stats NZ often make the statement that their figures are a sample, and that the actual inflation rate, as experienced by each person, will vary from their figures based on what each person (or family) chooses to purchase. I realise that almost nobody pays any attention to what they are actually saying though - people hear what they want to hear.

    PS: I fully expect PNS to increase the price of their rice next week now that I've pointed out the long period with no change!

    • sunshinenz on 12/11/2022 - 14:53

      Well done. The rice I buy increased from $9 to $13 per 5 kg.

      • CheapAzChips on 12/11/2022 - 18:48
        +2

        I agree with Alan. Sure, some prices have increased hugely, others not at all. Some are even less than they were this time last year (hand sanitiser anyone? They were literally giving away cartons of it at Countdown not too long ago, compared to the inflated price mid-pandemic.)

        So yeah, there are lies, damn lies and statistics. Averages hide a multitude of sins. But I'll bet there's someone at SNZ who can tell you exactly which store/s, which product/s on what date/s they used to derive that figure.

        Like Alan, you still have choices - albeit fewer, it seems. PnS seems to have trimmed its product line and all but killed the deli in every store I've been in recently. But pasta can still be bought for under $1/500g, butter can still be bought for under $5/500g if you shop around. I was still buying apples from PnS for between 69-99c/kg until a couple of months ago, good for both eating and dehydrating. Bread can still be bought for $1-$1.69 per loaf. That's phenomenal if you think about it.

        And while many items of convenience have gone up significantly, if you have a bit of space and time you can still bake your own bread, grow your own veggies, keep a hen or two and the rewards of doing so exceed the cost savings.

      • Alan6984 on 12/11/2022 - 16:07

        Not difficult - We are all free to choose for ourselves what we pay, and what inflation rate we subject ourselves to.

        I also choose to pay more than I strictly have to for some items, but that is my choice, and no-one else's fault than mine.

  • Cobra on 12/11/2022 - 14:06
    +1

    Watch the size off products too they just make smaller.

    • CheapAzChips on 12/11/2022 - 18:57

      Yep, this is even more insidious than the straight out price rises, I believe. More packaging per weight of product, more waste, less value, and usually it's packaged to make it look like nothing has changed. So it takes up the same amount of space in trucks and on shelves, etc.

      Instead, they should be upsizing products and selling bigger packages so people can buy in bulk for (hopefully) no more than pre-inflation, a la Costco.

  • Kiwi on 12/11/2022 - 12:56

    Would that be increase after inflation is taken into account?

    • Slogan on 12/11/2022 - 14:11

      Inflation is a general measure taken FROM things like food price increases. Stats NZ just compares the actual $ figures.

  • akrotohur on 12/11/2022 - 13:21

    I have a feeling that the "official" statistics are always lower than the reality, not just inflation, unemployment rates and other statistics too. But I'm not sure about what's the point of publishing these statistics, never paid any attention to them.

    • huffboy on 12/11/2022 - 13:56

      they base the benefits increase on it

  • BargainHunter on 13/11/2022 - 07:19

    Inflation statistics by Govts, as with most of their statistics, are done in a way to make them less or more shocking depending on the narrative they need to push…generally in line with NGO's like the WEF etc.

    Only a certain amount of things are added or removed from the bucket of things that are used to measure inflation, hence quite often some of the most common expenses to the common people are omitted.

    Another example if a false narrative currently being pushed, related to the "job boom' and low unemployment. This is nonsense as there are a gazillion minimum wage jobs or roles for experienced I.T. or engineering roles yet average jobs paying anything over $80pa are almost non existent.

    When the backpackers and international students are back in full force, the minimum wage jobs will go and the statistics will flip showing an unemployment crises, increased cost of living, rates creating a housing crisis etc.

    It's ok though, instead of craving down on the 20% or organisations around the world, live Unilever, CCA etc, let's smash the farmers and tax them in their emissions so they can charge a premium to people overseas for their fart proof food….meaning we also pay even more.

    Same is happening globally and everyone smashing farmers and the average citizen.

    If you look it up, who has become the biggest owner or agricultural land in the USA over the last 4 years……non other than Mr Bill Gates who has been pushing against farming due to their emissions.

    Become as self-sufficient as you can!

    Sunday morning rant over!

    • sunshinenz on 13/11/2022 - 08:05

      A lot of people still live in LaLa land and don't see this coming. When food shortage, food poverty becomes more rampant in a (once) industrialed efficient food producing country, certain people will say "oh, hindsight economics, nobody knew this before". It's basic economics, lots of people have been pointing this out, but we let the elite's ideology trump common sense, most of us will soon pay for the consequences, very dearly. Probably only then will the people wake up, rebel and vote for a dramatic change in direction.

    • Beejay on 15/11/2022 - 09:13

      100% accurate.

  • Bargainstalker on 13/11/2022 - 09:14

    Have made the same observation. Food is going up too fast for the stats to keep up is my theory

  • huffboy on 12/11/2022 - 12:39
    -1

    In Aotearoa

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