Where your grocery dollar goes. Latest Foodstuffs report breaks it down

From the cost of the products on the shelf to getting them to stores and keeping the lights on, the latest report from Foodstuffs North Island provides a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into putting food on New Zealanders' tables. 

The co-operative's 2026 Fact Base and Progress Report aims to answer some of the questions customers regularly ask about the grocery sector, including where their grocery dollar goes, how food prices in New Zealand compare internationally, and what supermarkets are doing to improve value and increase competition. 

Among the insights is a breakdown of how every dollar spent in-store is shared across suppliers, GST and the costs of running a large grocery network. The report shows that 66.5 cents of every dollar goes towards the products themselves, with the remainder covering taxes, transport, wages, store operations and other costs involved in getting groceries from producers to customers. 

The report also highlights: 

• The role local ownership plays in the Foodstuffs co-operative model
• Investments being made in stores, supply chain infrastructure and communities
• Partnerships with New Zealand growers, producers and suppliers
• Progress on implementing grocery industry reforms
• Efforts to help customers get the best possible value at the checkout

The report is designed to provide a straightforward explanation of how the grocery sector works and the challenges involved in balancing affordability, availability and investment. 

The full report is available here.