Last week, the retail price of eggs rebounded after decreasing for five consecutive weeks, up 0.7 per cent from the previous week but still down 5.4 per cent from the same period last year.

The price of pork, a staple meat in China, dropped 0.4 per cent from a week earlier, the ministry said.

Food prices account for a nearly one-third of the prices used to calculate China's consumer price index, which eased to 2.2 per cent in June, its lowest level since January 2010.