WASHINGTON — The average price paid for white pan bread decreased in May while the price for whole wheat bread increased, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor.
The national average retail price of white pan bread was 140.1c, down 0.8c per lb from April and down 1.1c from May 2012. It is the fourth month-over-month decline in 2013, and follows a decline of 0.3c in April. On a month-to-month basis, the average price for white pan bread in May rose in two regions — up 9.1c in the West and up 3.9c in the Midwest — and fell in two regions — down 6.8c in the South and down 4.6c in the Northeast.
At 207.1c per lb, the national average price for whole wheat bread was up 2.5c per lb from April and up 4.4c per lb from May 2012.
The national average price of family flour in May was 53c per lb, up 0.8c from April and up 1.7c from May 2012.
The national average price for spaghetti and macaroni in May was 137.1c per lb, up 8.5c from April and up 2.7c from May 2012. Chocolate chip cookies were 342.8c per lb, down 30.1c from April and down 26.1c from May 2012. The national average price of white long-grain rice was 70.2c per lb, down 2.2c from April but up 2.5c from May 2012.