The Market Basket Survey (MBS) is a survey of the costs, availability and quality of basic food items in remote stores in the Northern Territory (NT). The 2017 survey is the eighteenth annual survey in the NT. Results presented here are from the 2017 survey and some trend data from previous years.
NORTHERN TERRITORY MARKET BASKET SURVEY
SUMMARY REPORT - 2017
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
Darwin
Nhulunbuy
Katherine
Tennant Creek
Alice Springs
District Centre Community Surveyed Legend
Healthy Food Basket $541 Current Diet Basket $653 Healthy Food Basket $510
Current Diet Basket $633
Healthy Food Basket $554 Current Diet Basket $688 Supermarket:
Supermarket:
Supermarket:
71 remote stores were surveyed
across the NT
NT remote store average
Healthy Food Basket $854 Current Diet Basket $920
Alice Springs district Healthy Food Basket $870 Current Diet Basket $923 Barkly district
No stores surveyed Katherine district Healthy Food Basket $851 Current Diet Basket $925 East Arnhem district Healthy Food Basket $816 Current Diet Basket $920 Darwin district
Healthy Food Basket $843 Current Diet Basket $913
District remote
store average
What’s in the survey?
The MBS includes two food baskets.
Healthy Food Basket - based on the Australian Dietary Guidelines.
Current Diet Basket- based on the latest survey data of the dietary patterns of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia.
Both basket will feed a family of 6 for a fortnight.
The baskets are costed in remote stores, and a major supermarket and corner store (small supermarket) in each district centre.
In remote stores information is also collected on:
- variety and quality of fresh fruit and vegetables - availabilty of healthy foods
- store information such as store management type and Aboriginal employment.
Compared to a Healthy Food Basket, the Current Diet Basket costs
23%
more in district centre supermarkets
($658 compared to $535)
4%
more in district corner stores
($729 compared to $699)
8%
more in remote stores ($920 compared to $854)
A healthy diet costs less!
Remote stores Remote stores
NT
supermarkets
Bread and cereals Fruit Vegetables Meat and alternatives Dairy
Other foods# Total basket cost
(for a fortnight)
Takeaway*
$920
$102
$117
$57
$227
$92
$242
$83
$854
$111
$150
$179
$221
$175
$3
$15
$535
$68
$87
$139
$123
$103
$5
$9
$658
$65
$67
$44
$135
$53
$248
$47 NT
supermarkets
Cost of Food Baskets in 2017
Takeaway* includes hot foods (pie and chips) and cold drinks (cola and bottled water), if these items are not available from within the supermarket, the price is collected from a food outlet within the same complex.
Other foods# includes margarine, sugar, oil, biscuits and cordial base
Current Diet Basket Healthy Food Basket
BEEFBEEFBEEFBEEFBEEF BEEFBEEF
Instant Noodles BEEF
Remote store characteristics
62%
of employees were Aboriginal.The proportion of Aboriginal employees was highest in stores that were either owned (88%) or managed (76%) by a store group (e.g. ALPA and Outback Stores).
68%
of stores had a store committee
54%
of stores had a nutrition
policy Ownership not known Privately owned/leased
Owned or manged by store group Owned by community
Who owns the store?
2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
Fruit Vegetable
2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000
Average number of varieties of fresh fruit and vegetables, remote stores, 2000-2017
Fruit and vegetables
81%
of fresh fruit were rated to be of good quality in the 2017 survey.
80%
of fresh vegetables were rated to be of good quality in the 2017 survey.
4%
24%
41%
31%
The 2017 MBS is the seventeenth annual survey of remote community stores in the Northern Territory.
Results from the 2017 survey showed that the average cost of the Current Diet Basket was more expensive than the Healthy Food Basket in all disticts and all store types. The average cost of the Healthy Food Basket in remote stores was 60% higher than in the average of district centre supermarkets.
Compared to 2016, the average cost of the Healthy Food Basket increased by 3% in remote stores and decreased by 5% in district centre supermarkets.
Positive trends are emerging from the MBS results, particularly regarding the availability and variety of some healthy foods. For example, the number of varieties of fresh fruit and vegetables has increased from the first survey in 2000 (see graph on previous page).
Some limitations to the survey include:
- Store managers were given prior notice of the survey period, which may have influenced store prices and availbility during the survey period.
- The food baskets contain only a relatively small number of items (41). Significant changes in the price of 1 or 2 items may have an unduly inflated effect on the total cost of the basket.
- The survey is conducted over a 3 month period. During this time frame there is the potential for large variations in the prices of fresh fruit and vegetables.
- The same brand and pack size for each item is not always available in each store. When that is the case, similar items of a different brand or pack size may have to priced.
- The survey does not necessarily include the same stores each year.
More details on the food basket and survey methodology can be found in the full 2017 NT Market Basket Survey report (available at https://health.nt.gov.au/professionals/nutrition-and-physical-activity).
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1000
Supermarket average-expected Supermarket average - actual Remote stores - expected Remote stores average - actual
2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000
Actual cost of the Healthy Food Basket compared with expected cost of the Healthy Food Basket
In remote stores the actual cost of the Healthy Food Basket has been similar to the expected cost of the basket using annual Consumer Price Index rates, except in 2011 and 2016 when the actual cost was notably higher than expected. In the Darwin supermarket the actual cost was above the expected cost between 2006 and 2009 and in 2016.
