February Market Bites: Monthly Supply & Pricing Update

Beef 

• Strong kills through December. Have now slowed through January with the wet summer we have all been experiencing. Still appears to be a good quantity of this December product in chillers – once sells through (which won’t be far away now) supply expected to get tighter if not programmed. 

• We have good Silverfern Farms and Pure South programmed chilled supply. 

• Expect Australian beef to continue coming into NZ and to remain on the general NZ scene to support local supply. 

• Demand for NZ beef has remained stronger than would expect despite the much higher buy prices we have seen over the last year or more. 

• NZ Beef pricing stable at present. 

• Alternative Prime Beef (PR/PB) sales have been strong as a cheaper alternative to Prime Steer (PS). But need to remember Prime Beef doesn’t eat as well as Prime Steer. 

• NZD has strengthened against both EUR and USD over last 2 months which is good news helping to keep a lid on pricing. 

Lamb 

• No real change here – Lamb prices have stabilised for now. Strengthening NZD helping. 

• Great supply options:- 

  • Have wonderful premium Lamb offers with Freshmeats, Lumina and Hand Pick (both frozen).  

  • Lumina and Hand Pick are both aged before being frozen. 

• Why freeze and age? Aids continuity of supplying. Aging before freezing improves and locks in eating quality.  

NZ Pork 

• No change here. 

• Pricing continues to stable for us in Foodservice.  

• A small increase is possible for March. 

Poultry 

• Some price increases are to be expected in February but Chicken will still remain a cheap protein.

Seafood 

• The NZ Squid season has now started 

What’s New 

• Figs – In stock now 

• Swede – New season starting 

• Apples – New season NZ Royal Gala 

What’s Good 

• Nectarines, Peaches, Plums & Apricots – Good supply 

• Sweetcorn – Good supply coming through 

• Pumpkins – Good availability 

• New season Potatoes 

• Tomatoes 

• Kumara – Becoming more widely available 

• Melons all available (local supply) 

What’s Short 

• Cherries – Season finishing in the next couple of weeks 

• Mandarins 

• Swede – Short supply currently 

• Sugar Snaps – Supply impacted by recent weather 

What’s Tight 

• Kiwi Fruit – Imported Italian supply, prices remain high 

• Shallots – USA supply available but pricing is high 

Imports 

• Grapes – Australian supply now underway 

• Citrus- Imported out of Australia 

What’s Coming 

• Celeriac – New season about to start 

• Red Kiwifruit – Expected to start end of February 

• Pears – New season NZ Packham & Bosc starting very soon 

• Agave & Rum Growth: Premium tequila and agave spirits continue to see strong growth here & abroad. Rum is also primed for a breakout, with both international and local producers gaining traction (see Black collar distillery for award winning boutique rums sold exclusively through Bidfood)  

• Citrus Renaissance: High-aromatic citrus - such as yuzu, bergamot, and lime varietals are the trending citrus options for summer 26’  with a huge injection of popularity from RTD flavours and summer cocktail lists. 

• On-Premise Evolution: Bars are evolving into "third spaces," serving as coffee spots, brunch locations, and cocktail bars throughout the day. 

• RTD Growth on Tap: RTDs are gaining popularity in venues where spirits have historically dominated, with "tap RTDs" increasing in popularity for speed and ease of service.  

• Star winelist of the year international open 2026, 3 NZ restaurants have made the finalists against the best in the world with winners announced mid Feb 

  • (Best medium sized list 200-600 listings) Toast & Oak, Queenstown  

  • (Best short list fewer than 200) Charley Noble Eatery & Bar, Wellington, New Zealand, The Cellar Dunedin, Dunedin, New Zealand 

  • (Best by the glass list): Toast & Oak, Queenstown, New Zealand, Charley Noble Eatery & Bar, Wellington, New Zealand 

  • (Best Italian wine list) Toast & Oak, Queenstown, New Zealand 

We can expect to see some price relief coming through for butter.  Recent Global Dairy Trade events have shown some sharp declines, which has allowed suppliers to lower their butter pricing. 

Apricots, Hazelnuts and Oregano 

There is an extreme shortage of these lines due to climatic issues in Turkey earlier in 2025, and this has driven prices up and limited supply. 

Wild Rice and Pumpkin Seeds 

There are very few growers of these products left, so there is a shortage of supply. 

Coconut Based Products 

Pricing for most Coconut based products out of Indonesia / Philippines continue to rise due to recent extreme weather events ( typhoons etc ), aging Coconut trees / slow replanting, and increased worldwide demand.