Food can cost twice as much at some Seattle supermarket chains–UW nutrition researchers find

It will cost you roughly twice as much to buy a standard “market basket” of food from PCC in Kirkland than it would if you had shopped at Fred Meyer, a study by University of Washington researchers has found.

Market Basket Price in Dollars by Chain

The purpose of the study was to see if there were areas in the Seattle region where it was difficult to find stores offering healthy foods and whether supermarket chains in the area charged higher prices in lower-income areas.

Studies in other cities have found that many low-income areas have no grocery stores offering healthy, affordable foods.

People living in such “food deserts” often have little choice but to buy over-priced processed foods that are typically high in fat, salt and sugar.

Research has also found that chain stores often charge higher prices in low-income areas than they do in higher-income areas.

Lack of access to healthy food and higher food prices have been linked to the higher rates of diabetes and other chronic diseases seen in low-income groups.

The new study, conducted by researchers at UW Center for Public Health Nutrition, looked at the prices of seven local supermarket chains for a standard “market basket” containing 100 foods.

The foods in the basket included commonly eaten products as well as a number of healthy items that are recommended for improving diet quality.

The study found that there were supermarkets located in both high- and low-income neighborhoods in the Seattle area, so there appeared to be no “food deserts” that have been found in other metropolitan areas.

The study also found that there were no significant differences between prices the chains charged at their different locations: prices remained roughly the same whether a chain’s store was in a high- and low-income neighborhood.

However, there were big differences in food prices between chains.

The greatest difference was the two-fold difference between the prices at Fred Myer and PCC.

On average, to buy the standard “market basket” of food at Fred Myer would cost you $215.22.

At PCC, the same “market basket” would cost you $405.69.

Some of the price differences could be attributed to differences in quality, the researchers said.

PCC and Whole Foods, another high-cost chain, for example, carry only pricier organic, hormone-free, grass-fed meats.

Overall, the local chains clustered into three price groups:

• High: PCC, Whole Foods, and Metropolitan Market
• Middle: Albertson’s, Safeway, and QFC (with Albertson’s being the least expensive of the three).
• Lowest: Fred Myer.

Nadia K. Mahmud, Pablo Monsivais and Adam Drewnowski conducted the study.

To learn more:

• Visit the UW Center for Public Health Nutrition.

Category: Diet, Diet & Nutrition, University of Washington