More pain at the supermarket checkout

Latest Stats NZ figures show food price inflation has reached 3.5 percent -- up from 2.4 a month ago.

Butter is just over 63 percent more expensive than a year ago, and milk is up 16.

Meat's risen 5.3 percent and grocery went up 5.1.

Fruit and vegetables are 2.7 percent cheaper.

New data , due out on Thursday, is expected to show overall inflation is rising again, but still well within the Reserve Bank's one to three-percent target.