WASHINGTON — The average price paid for white pan bread fell in August while the price for whole wheat bread increased sharply, 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 139.6c, down 1.7c per lb from July and down 1.2c from August 2013. On a month-to-month basis, the average price for white pan bread in August increased in two regions — up 0.7c in the Midwest and up 0.4c in the Northeast — and fell in two regions — down 4c in the South and down 1.8c in the West.
At 207.2c per lb, the national average price for whole wheat bread was up 5.2c per lb from July and up 3.6c per lb from August 2013.
The national average price of family flour in August was 53.1c per lb, up 0.4c from July and up 0.2c from August 2013.
The national average price for spaghetti and macaroni in August was 137.5c per lb, up 5.1c from July and up 7.9c from August 2013. Chocolate chip cookies were 337.5c per lb, down 8.1c from July and down 7.6c from August 2013. The national average price of white long-grain rice was 73.7c per lb, down 2.1c from July and unchanged from August 2013.