Supermarket sales of high-sugar products in predominantly Black, Hispanic, and white census tracts of Houston, Texas.

Sales of 488 sweet foods and beverages by supermarkets located in predominantly Black, Hispanic, and white census tracts of Houston, TX, were examined in relation to sales of a number of commodity foods. Mean sweet energy/commodity food sales ratios in Black and Hispanic census tract supermarkets were 122 and 108%, respectively, of those in white census tracts. Ethnic differences in sweet energy/commodity sales ratios were almost always statistically significant (p less than 0.05), but variation within ethnic groups of supermarkets remained large, indicating that nonethnic factors also influenced the food purchase patterns. Supermarket sales records offer a relatively inexpensive source of data for comparative or longitudinal studies of community purchase of food products postulated to play a role in the development of nutrition-associated health problems. The major problems in interpreting the data result from a need to use ratios, and lack of a valid measure of the population consuming the foods purchased.