The Veggie Index: Broccoli, cauliflower, mandarins this week’s best buys

As food prices continue to rise, the Herald has started a new weekly series - The Veggie Index - highlighting this week’s good value fruit and vegetables. With the help of United Fresh, a non-profit produce industry association, the series aims to help readers know which fruit and veggies are a good buy that week and why.

Each week, United Fresh will provide their picks of the best fruit and vegetables on supermarket shelves. Cauliflower stays on the last as one of the week’s best buys, joining broccoli and mandarins.

Cauliflower

United Fresh president Jerry Prendergast said cauliflower was again a good buy this weekend with plentiful supply and expected prices between $3.50 and $5 each.

The prices are expected to increase after the weekend.

Broccoli

Prendergast says broccoli growing conditions have been “exceptional” for broccoli with the crop being planted after the late January and early February weather events.

“Great price and good size heads.”

Price points are expected to be between $2 to $2.50 each.

New Zealand Mandarins

The mandarin season is fully under way with very large volumes being harvested over the coming five to 10 days, Prendergast said.

“The season starts in the Northland region from now until end of May then the main crop is out of Gisborne from May though to the end of August.

“This year’s fruit profile is on the large size - the trees have received plenty of rain over the summer period, this is producing a larger than usual fruit size.”

Prendergast said the yield predictions are on track as expected despite the excessive rainfall during summer months. Depending on where you are in New Zealand, the price per kilogram of mandarins is expected to be between $6 and $8 next week.

Inflation – one aspect of a cost of living crisis – has decreased but still remains high at 6.7 per cent for the year to March.

Food prices were the largest contributor to the latest inflation figure. Vegetables jumped 22 per cent in the year to March 2023, while ready-to-eat food and milk, cheese and eggs increased 9.7 per cent and 15 per cent, respectively.