Critical Loss Analysis in the Whole Foods Case

This article is part of a Chronicle. See more from this Chronicle

Kevin Murphy, Robert Topel, Mar 17, 2008

In the matter of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) versus Whole Foods (hereinafter Whole Foods), the economist for Whole Foods, Professor David Scheffman, applied “Critical Loss” (CL) analysis to the issue of market definition in the proposed merger of Whole Foods and Wild Oats. Our point in this comment is not to criticize the application of critical loss analysis to ma