Research by Rabobank and food rescue organisation KiwiHarvest highlights significant changes in food buying and consumption behaviours.
The research, completed in the second quarter of the year, found households were spending significantly more on food than last year, and that use of food delivery services continued to increase.
Diets were also changing, fewer New Zealanders saying they were getting their "five plus" of fruit and vegetables a day and just under a third saying they planned to decrease meat consumption.
In a statement, Rabobank head of sustainable business development Blake Holgate said it was no surprise to see the household food spend had increased markedly from a year ago, with food prices rising strongly over recent months.
"At the top end, the number of Kiwi households saying they spend more than $300 per week jumped to 15%, from 12% last year, while at the other end of the spectrum, the percentage of households spending less than $100 per week has dropped to just 11% from 14% previously.
"And with inflation also impacting prices for most other goods and services, it’s no shock to see the survey identifying ‘cost of living’ as the No 1 concern for Kiwis in 2022," he said.
National and regional Covid-19 lockdowns were likely to have played a role in helping drive uptake of food apps, while convenience and the growing range of choices were further key factors.
The survey found HelloFresh was the most commonly used food service app, used by 33% of New Zealanders in the past 12 months (from 31% previously).
Uber Eats was the next most prominent at 31% (unchanged), and My Food Bag came in third at 20% (from 17%). The survey also found usage was up across several emerging food service brands, with Menulog (10% from 7% last year), Delivereasy (8% from 6% previously) and foodpanda (4% from 1%) the biggest gainers.
Despite increased food service app usage, the survey also found New Zealanders were visiting their local supermarkets more regularly.
More people said "top-up" shopping was now part of their weekly food shopping routine.
Only 21% of respondents said their household relied solely on a main weekly shop (down from 24%) while most (70%) said they did a main grocery shop and then "top-up" shopping as required.
