Cost of Revised Northern Food Basket in 2011-2012

• On average, in communities eligible for a full subsidy under Nutrition North Canada (NNC), the cost of the Revised Northern Food Basket (RNFB) in March 2012 was $34.16 (or 8%) lower than in March 2011, prior to the launch of the program.
• On average, in communities eligible for a partial subsidy, the cost of the RNFB in March 2012 was $6.92 (or 2%) lower than in March 2011.
• Overall, these results demonstrate that NNC made it possible for retailers to find savings in operating their business and that they were able to reduce prices for their customers.
• According to Statistics Canada , food prices elsewhere in Canada increased 2.2% between March 2011 and March 2012.

Cost of the Revised Northern Food Basket in 2011-2012 in communities eligible for a full subsidy

The table below shows the cost of the RNFB in communities eligible for a full subsidy under NNC. The cost of the basket was calculated using retail prices provided by the following retailers registered with the program in 2011-2012:

• Arctic Ventures Ltd.;
• Fédération des coopératives du Nouveau-Québec (FCNQ);
• Labrador Investments (Big Land Grocery); and
• Northwest Company (NWCo). 

The cost of the RNFB may not be available for communities where local stores are not registered with NNC but access the subsidy by purchasing products from registered suppliers in the South, or for communities where the prices provided did not allow for an accurate and consistent calculation of cost. The program is developing strategies to address these issues in the future.

To help monitor trends over time, the table includes the cost of the basket in June, September and December 2011, as well as in March 2012. The cost of the RNFB in March 2011 under the Food Mail Program is included as a point of comparison.

n/a = not available
Notes: Price data from Arctic Co-operatives Ltd. for co-ops in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories (NT), Rampart Rentals for Norman Well, NT, and Stanton Group for Aklavik and Tuktoyaktuk, NT, was either not available for all periods, or could not be used to accurately calculate the cost of the RNFB and/or draw comparisons. Quebec North Shore communities are not listed in the table because they are eligible for NNC only during the few weeks of the year when there is no marine service available.

Cost of the Revised Northern Food Basket in 2011-2012 in communities eligible for a partial subsidy

The table below shows the cost of the RNFB in communities eligible for a partial subsidy NNC. The cost of the basket was calculated using retail prices provided by the Northwest Company.

n/a = not available
Notes: Price data provided by Arctic Co-operatives Ltd. for the co-op in Lutsel k’e in the Northwest Territories could not be used to accurately calculate the cost of the RNFB. Quebec North Shore communities are not listed in the table because they are eligible for NNC only during the few weeks of the year when there is no marine service available.

You may also be interested in:

• Fact Sheet: Revised Northern Food Basket
• Communities eligible for a full subsidy
• Communities eligible for a partial subsidy