Food prices before and during the Covid‐19 pandemic: Evidence from a remote Indigenous community in Northern Alberta

Abstract This paper examines food price changes before and during the COVID‐19 pandemic over a 5‐year period from 2017 to 2021 in Fox Lake, a remote Indigenous community in Northern Alberta, and compares them to provincial trends in Alberta. Using retail price data for 51 food items from The Northern , the sole grocery store in Fox Lake, and Statistics Canada records, we analyze differences in food price levels, temporal changes in food price indices, and their implications for living wages. We identify significant food price disparities, with Fox Lake exhibiting consistently higher price levels. During the pandemic, we observe mixed trends: disparities narrowed for perishable goods but widened for non‐perishable items. The Fox Lake food price index fluctuated over time, peaking above Alberta's in 2018 but remaining lower during the pandemic. These trends may reflect targeted strategies by The Northern to reduce disparities for essential items and stabilize prices, potentially supported by the Nutrition North Canada subsidy. Despite smaller percentage increases in food prices in Fox Lake, the higher share of food costs in total expenses resulted in a greater proportional impact on living wages. These descriptive results contrast with reports showing pandemic‐related food price spikes in other remote Indigenous communities.