WASHINGTON — The Consumer Price Index for baked foods and cereal products rose 0.4%, advancing to 268.4 in July from 267.3 in June, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. The index for all food at home, meanwhile, fell 0.1% after finishing unchanged in June.
Of the 18 items followed by Milling & Baking News, 12 posted month-over-month gains and 6 finished lower.
The July index for Cereals and Bakery Products before seasonal adjustment was 268.4% of the 1982-84 average, up 2.8% from a year ago. For all food at home, the July index was 231.3, up 1.9% from July 2011.
The C.P.I. for cereals and cereal products in July was 234.4, up 0.1% from June and up 3.1% from July 2011. The index for products within this category included: flour and prepared mixes, 258.1, down 0.1% from June but up 4.8% from the previous year; breakfast cereal, 228.8, down 0.2% from the previous month but up 2.6% from a year ago; and rice, pasta and corn meal, 241.2, up 0.8% from June and up 3.3% from July 2011.
The price index for bakery products in July was 286.8, up 0.6% from June and up 2.8% from July 2011.
The July index for bread was 175, up 1.5% from June and up 3.1% from July 2011. Under this heading, the C.P.I. for white bread was 318.6, up 2.2% from June and up 1.9% from July 2011. For bread other than white, the index was 337.5, up 1.2% from June and up 4.1% from a year ago.
The price index for fresh biscuits, rolls and muffins in July was 167, up 0.5% from June and up 1.8% from July 2011. The July index for cakes, cupcakes and cookies was 265.8, up 0.8% from June and up 5.1% from July 2011. Under this segment, other price indexes included fresh cakes and cupcakes, 274.7, up 0.5% from June and up 5% from July 2011; and cookies, 257.9, up 1% from the previous month and up 5.4% from the previous year.
The C.P.I. for other bakery products in July was 259.8, down 0.3% from June but up 0.8% from July 2011. Under this heading, other price indexes in July included: fresh sweet rolls, coffee cakes and donuts, 272.1, down 1.1% from June but up 2.8% from July 2011; crackers and cracker products, 305.3, up 0.9% from June and up 1.4% from July 2011; and frozen and refrigerated bakery products, pies, tarts and turnovers, 265.6, down 0.7% from June and down 0.6% from the previous year.