Less significant upward contributions came from the restaurant meals and ready to eat food subgroup (up 0.4 percent), and the grocery food (up 0.2 percent) and non-alcoholic beverages (up 0.4 percent) subgroups.

Prices for the fruit and vegetables subgroup (down 2.6 percent) almost offset the total upward contributions of the four other subgroups, dominated by the meat, poultry and fish subgroup. The most significant downward contribution came from lower prices for apples (down 26.7 percent).

For the year to February 2007, food prices rose 4.5 percent. Prices were up for all subgroups: fruit and vegetables (up 18.5 percent); meat, poultry and fish (up 5.5 percent); restaurant meals and ready-to-eat food (up 3.3 percent); grocery food (up 1.4 percent) and non-alcoholic beverages (up 2.9 percent).