Overview of 2002 and 2003 Retail Food Prices

Retail prices of more than 50 food items are collected each week at representative stores of the major food chains in Edmonton. The prices are weighted to account for the estimated market share held by each chain, as well as the relative importance of each item in the total food-at-home budget.
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The purpose of the survey is to continue to build upon the historical series of benchmark retail food prices which we have been collecting for Edmonton since the early 1970's. The data series provides accurate, timely and reliable information on retail food prices for use in business analysis and planning. It is also used by the health care services sector in programs involving food security issues, nutrition and education, and policy, planning and advocacy work.

The publication of survey results is governed by the Statistics Act of Canada, which prohibits the disclosure of confidential information. Specifically, the relevant section of the Act reads as follows:

"no person who has been sworn under section 6 shall disclose or knowingly cause to be disclosed, by any means, any information obtained under this Act in such a manner that it is possible from the disclosure to relate the particulars obtained from any individual return to any identifiable individual person, business or organization."

The Act, therefore requires that all information gathered in the food price survey be kept confidential. To meet this requirement, the prices shown in this report represent weighted averages of several retail stores, gathered on Thursday of each week. The prices from each store are weighted to account for an estimated market share and a weighted average price for each food item is published for Edmonton.

Overview of 2002 and 2003 Retail Food Prices

Other Documents in the Series