Thanks to inflation, fresh fruit and vegetables have been one of the costlier items for New Zealand consumers this year, though prices fell 3.9 per cent in September. Fresh berries might become a luxury some will not be able to afford.
Throughout the week strawberry prices have been ranging from reasonable — the average supermarket price seems to sit at around $5 for a 250g punnet — to as much as $12 for 250g.
At a central Auckland Countdown, 250g punnets were going for $5 each — $3.40 for a punnet if you opt for their Odd Bunch range — while over at New World, a 250g punnet cost $4.99, and we spotted a 250g pack for $3.99 at a New World Metro.
Kaihoke Berries general manager Todd Jackson told the Northern Advocate in September that because of the shortage, fewer strawberries would be available this summer, so prices would go up. “There’s no doubt that the price of strawberries is going to increase this year. That’s just supply and demand.”
Source: nzherald.co.nz