Online catering marketplace Caterwings has released the 2017 Meat Price Index, which details the cost of meat in over 50 countries worldwide. The study showed that Switzerland has the highest meat prices, at 141.9 percent more expensive than the average cost worldwide, followed by Norway and Hong Kong. Ukraine has the least expensive meat prices of the 53 countries surveyed, at 52.3 percent less expensive than the average cost. The affordability of meat in each country was calculated to reveal the relative number of hours a person on minimum wage must work to buy each type of meat.
New Zealand came in at 15th, with local meat prices around 24 percent higher than average. When broken down by meat type New Zealand twice cracked the top five – for pork and chicken, fifth place in each and 41.5 percent and 53.5 percent higher than the worldwide average respectively. Lamb was the only meat where New Zealand was below the international average, with a lamb chop costing on average 30 percent.
“What began as a simple catering cost price Index for market research has raised some important questions,” said Caterwings managing director, Susannah Belcher. “It is clear that international inequality exists, and as the world begins to rethink the implications of globalisation, this study clearly demonstrates that food prices ought to be on the agenda.”
