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dtl_super_explainer_lehren.sPubDate = "1/21/2006 3:13:52 AM GMT";
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dtl_super_explainer_lehren.appHeader = "more info | 'Supermarket Sweeps' methodology";
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dtl_super_explainer_lehren[i-1].body = "To look at what inspectors find in the nation&#146;s largest supermarket chains, Dateline NBC first used industry trade publications to determine which chains operate the most stores under a flagship banner &#150; the names that consumers recognize across the nation like Safeway, Wal-Mart and Kroger.<p>Dateline NBC then consulted with a company that tracks retail store locations. After talking with statisticians, to get a reliable sample, Dateline NBC sought the inspections for 2004, the most recent full year that these reports were available. It sought a randomly selected sample of 100 stores for each chain&#146;s flagship stores. The survey was nationwide. The result of the survey yielded more than 4,000 inspections. Most of the time these were available only on paper records. Sometimes Dateline NBC needed to file open records requests to get the documents. The process took months. <p>Dateline NBC focused on routine inspections &#150;- the kind conducted typically at least once a year, and are unannounced. We then analyzed the reports for critical violations. These are the violations that could make consumers ill. Not every state defines these the same way. Dateline NBC used the definitions of whichever agency conducted the inspection report. Dateline NBC then calculated each chain&#146;s average number of critical violations found on a particular day at its stores in 2004.";

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