Weaker food prices were a big drag on September’s consumer prices, though China’s National Bureau of Statistics said this was due to high food prices last year.
On Friday, official data showed China food prices collectively fell 3.2% in September from a year earlier.
In particular, the price of pork — a key staple meat in Chinese diets — tumbled 22% last month from a year ago. That’s as the price of livestock and meat collectively dropped 12.8% and the price of fresh vegetables fell 6.4%.