WASHINGTON — The Consumer Price Index for baked foods and cereal products increased 0.3% in June, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. The index for all food at home, meanwhile, rebounded after four straight months of lower prices, rising 0.2%.
Of the 18 items followed by Milling & Baking News, 13 posted month-over-month gains, 4 finished lower and 1 was unchanged.
The June index for Cereals and Bakery Products before seasonal adjustment was 274.5% of the 1982-84 average, up 1.3% from a year ago. For all food at home, the June index was 241.5, up 1% from June 2014.
The C.P.I. for cereals and cereal products in June was 236.3, up 0.3% from May and up 1% from June 2014. The index for products within this category included: flour and prepared mixes, 250.4, down 0.1% from May and down 1.5% from the previous year; breakfast cereal, 230.5, unchanged from the previous month and up 0.3% from a year ago; and rice, pasta and corn meal, 245.3, up 1% from May and up 3.1% from June 2014.
The price index for bakery products in June was 295.9, up 0.3% from May and up 1.5% from June 2014.
The June index for bread was 179.2, up 1% from May and up 2.1% from June 2014. Under this heading, the C.P.I. for white bread was 325.2, up 0.3% from May and up 2.8% from June 2014. For bread other than white, the index was 344.4, up 1.6% from May and up 0.8% from a year ago.
The price index for fresh biscuits, rolls and muffins in June was 173.3, down 0.1% from May but up 2.7% from June 2014. The June index for cakes, cupcakes and cookies was 277.6, up 0.5% from May and up 1.7% from June 2014. Under this segment, other price indexes included fresh cakes and cupcakes, 291.8, up 0.9% from May and up 2.2% from June 2014; and cookies, 266.5, up 0.3% from the previous month and up 1.6% from the previous year.
The C.P.I. for other bakery products in June was 266.5, down 0.3% from May but up 0.1% from June 2014. Under this heading, other price indexes in June included: fresh sweet rolls, coffee cakes and donuts, 292.6, up 0.2% from May and up 0.9% from June 2014; crackers and cracker products, 309.8, up 0.3% from May and up 0.3% from June 2014; and frozen and refrigerated bakery products, pies, tarts and turnovers, 269.1, down 0.4% from May and down 0.7% from the previous year.
