Supermarket shoppers stunned after beef mince reaches $30 a kg

One Reddit user shared a post of a 1kg packet of lean mince on sale at a Woolworths supermarket for $30.90. Photo / Reddit

High grocery prices continue to shock New Zealanders, with one photo shared online showing beef mince on sale for $30 a kg.

One Reddit user shared a post of a 1kg packet of lean mince on sale at a Woolworths supermarket for $30.90.

“We literally can’t afford mince. The 18% wasn’t much cheaper,” they wrote.

On the Woolworths online shop, a 500g packet of Woolworths NZ 5% fat beef mince costs $16.90, while a 500g packet of 18% fat beef mince costs $12.90.

On the New World’s online shop, premium beef mince was selling for $30.90 per kg and prime beef mince was going for $25.99 per kg.

A Woolworths NZ spokesperson said the price of beef has increased due to high export demand.

“Increased farm production costs and a reduction in supply (through land conversion to dairy and forestry). All these factors have contributed to record prices being paid for beef.

“At Woolworths NZ, we are acutely aware that New Zealanders are facing continued cost of living pressures. Our absolute priority is delivering value with great quality products and we are working to keep prices as low as possible.”

According to Stats NZ figures released last month, food prices increased by 4.1% in the year to September, the smallest annual increase since April 2025.

The average milk price was $4.72 for 2 litres, up 15.1% annually. Cheese was $12.81 for a 1kg block, up 31.4% annually, and beef mince was $23.11 for 1kg, up 17.7% annually.

This was followed by meat, poultry and fish, up 6.4% annually (down 0.4% monthly), and restaurant meals and ready-to-eat food, up 2.5% annually (up 0.3% monthly).

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