The annual food price increase reached a 14-year high of 10.1 per cent.

Food prices jumped 0.8 per cent in the month of October - and fruit and vegetable prices alone increased by 17 per cent.

Stats NZ released the data shortly before 11am today.

“This was the highest annual increase since November 2008,” Stats NZ consumer prices senior manager Nicola Growden said.

Compared with October last year, grocery food prices increased by 9.7 per cent.

Stats NZ today revealed restaurant meals and ready-to-eat food prices jumped by 7.5 percent in the past year.

Meat, poultry, and fish prices increased by 10 per cent.

And non-alcoholic beverage prices surged by 8.7 per cent.

Eggs-tra-ordinary price increase

“Increasing prices for barn-raised eggs, cheddar cheese, and two-minute noodles were the largest drivers within grocery food,” Growden said.

“Previous patterns of seasonal price movement for fruit and vegetables suggest it’s more typical to see a larger fall in fruit and vegetables for the October month,” she added.

Noodles, pasta sauce and capsicums were major recipes in September inflation stats.

Monthly food prices were 0.8 percent higher in October 2022 compared with September 2022. After adjusting for seasonal effects, they were up 1.8 percent.

Fruit and vegetable prices fell 5.2 percent, but after seasonal adjustment rose 1.3 percent.