23-07-2025
Food inflation, notably price of beef, leads in pushing CPI upward: Stats SA
Stats SA announced on Wednesday that annual consumer price inflation was 3.0% in June, up from 2.8% in May. The consumer price index (CPI) showed an increase by 0.3% month-on-month in June, with food inflation experiencing specially pronounced rises.
Patrick Kelly, chief director of price statistics at Stats SA, said among other categories of inflation, the annual inflation rate for food and non-alcoholic beverages recorded its highest levels in more than a year.
'After holding steady at 2.8% in April and May, consumer inflation edged higher to 3% in June. The month-on-month change in the CPI was 0.3%. The annual rate for food and non-alcoholic beverages reached a 15-month high of 5.1% in June.
'Meat, particularly beef, continues to be the main driver of food inflation. Beef prices spiked for a third successive month, with high annual and monthly increases recorded for stewing beef, mince and steak.'
Conversely, Kelly said, fuel prices continued a downward trajectory and declined for a fourth consecutive month.
