Buying seasonally is financially savvy
16 April 2015
It makes financial as well as environmental sense to buy seasonal produce, according to new analysis from Statistics New
Zealand.
Price information from 2012 to 2014 showed that while bananas cost about the same all year round, you’ll be paying
around half the price for strawberries in January than in July – $3.75 compared with $7.36 for a 250g punnet.
Courgettes are cheapest in February when they’re likely to set you back under $5 a kilo, but buy them in September and
you may pay $12 a kilo more. Capsicums are also almost twice the price in August compared with their lowest price in
December or March.
Prices manager Chris Pike says it shows the value of knowing when to buy. “Although you can get them all year round, the
capsicums and courgettes you’re buying from late spring through to autumn are more likely to be grown locally, and that
means they’ll cost less.
“Back when all fruit and veges were locally grown outdoors, people probably had a better idea of the growing and picking
seasons. Now many of us are accustomed to being able to buy whatever we like all year around – even if we have to pay
for the privilege.”
Fresh tomatoes are cheaper between December and March when the price goes well under $4 a kilo. However, tinned tomatoes
are worth a look between June and October, when fresh ones cost two or three times as much as in summer. This period is
when you see a limited supply of fresh tomatoes, but the average price for a 400g can of tomatoes is around $1.30.
And where do Kiwis spend their fruit and vegetable dollars? Bananas ($7.20) and apples ($5.30) are the top-two
fruit-bowl staples bought by households each month. In the vege compartments, our top two are potatoes ($6.00) and
tomatoes ($5.90).
Fruit and vegetable average retail prices: 2012–14 presents fruit and vegetable prices using data from 2012 to 2014. It provides monthly average retail prices per kilo.
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