Seven categories of fresh produce will come under daily reporting of the Consumer Council in a new price survey on wet markets.
It is the latest of a combination of 3 initiatives on price surveillance of foodstuffs and household necessities by the Council since August this year in the face of rising inflation.
First, on August 27, the Council inaugurated its weekly price survey - on a basket of 40 commodities in one district at a time - across a diverse range of supermarket and other retail outlets for price comparison of consumers.
Second, on September 29, the Council rolled out its pricewatch internet portal comparing the daily prices of some 500 supermarket items among 4 major supermarket chains that offer online shopping for consumers.
Third, today (November 10), the Council unveiled the latest of 3 price initiatives on fresh produce in wet markets - on 7 product categories, namely, salt-water fish, fresh-water fish, pork, beef, poultry, vegetables and fruit.
Prices of a total of 16 items from 4 markets in 2 districts (with 2 markets in each) will be surveyed in the morning. The survey will cover all 18 districts in the territory on a random rotation.
Results of the survey will provide indication of the price range -the lowest, the highest, and the average - of an item in each of the markets surveyed, for easy reference of consumers in their food shopping.
The information in both Chinese and English will be uploaded on the Council's pricewatch website before 10:30am and, simultaneously, disseminated by different media platforms including radio and television channels between Monday and Friday.
In the survey this morning were shown prices of 16 food items among the 4 markets in the 2 districts of Sham Shui Po (SSP) in Kowloon and Tsuen Wan (TW) in the New Territories.
For instance, in the case of the salt-water fish Chilled Golden Thread, prices ranged from $32 to $40 a catty in the 2 markets in SSP, and from $28 to $40 in the 2 markets in TW.
In the case of the fresh-water fish Live Grass Carp, prices ranged from $24 to $32 a catty in SSP, and $22 to $30 in TW.
In the pork category, the price range of fresh lean pork was $26 to $38 a catty in SSP, and $36 to $44 in TW.
In the beef category, the price range of fresh beef was $40 to $70 a catty in SSP, and $54 to $62 in TW.
In the case of chilled "Sanhuang" chicken, prices ranged from $16 to $23 a catty in SSP, and $16 to $30 in TW.
For vegetables, Flowering Cabbage (Beijing) prices ranged from $12 to $14 a catty in SSP, and $9 to $15 in TW.
For fruit, Apple-Washington 4016 prices ranged from $3.5 to $4 per piece in SSP, and $4 to $5 in TW.