Development of the Food-at-Home Monthly Area Prices Data

by Megan Sweitzer, Anne Byrne, Elina T. Page, Andrea Carlson, Linda Kantor, Mary K. Muth, Shawn A. Karns, and Chen Zhen

The Food-at-Home Monthly Area Prices (F-MAP) data product provides detailed food price data to support a broad range of food economics research. The data product contains monthly mean unit values and 6 price index measures for 90 food-at-home categories nationally, across 10 major metropolitan areas, and for the 4 Census regions. This report introduces the USDA, Economic Research Service (ERS) Food Purchase Groups food classification system and describes the methods used to construct the F-MAP data product using weighted Circana (formerly IRI) retail scanner data from 2016 to 2018. The F-MAP data product is modeled after the Quarterly Food-at-Home Price Database (QFAHPD) previously published by USDA, ERS to report 1999 to 2010 food-at-home prices.

Keywords: Food-at-Home Monthly Area Prices, F-MAP, food prices, price index, average price, Circana, OmniMarket Core Outlets, IRI InfoScan, scanner data, food at home, ERS Food Purchase Groups, EFPG

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