WASHINGTON — The Consumer Price Index for baked foods and cereal products rose 0.5% in January, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. The index for all food at home also rose, increasing 0.2%.
Of the 18 items followed by Milling & Baking News, 14 posted month-over-month gains, 3 finished lower and 1 was unchanged.
The January index for Cereals and Bakery Products before seasonal adjustment was 274.6% of the 1982-84 average, up 0.4% from a year ago. For all food at home, the January index was 242, down 0.5% from January 2015.
The C.P.I. for cereals and cereal products in January was 232, down 0.1% from December and down 1% from January 2015. The index for products within this category included: flour and prepared mixes, 245.8, up 5.1% from December but down 2.9% from the previous year; breakfast cereal, 226.2, down 2.2% from the previous month and down 1.5% from a year ago; and rice, pasta and corn meal, 241.2, up 1.2% from December and up 0.5% from January 2015.
The price index for bakery products in January was 298.8, up 0.8% from December and up 1% from January 2015.
The January index for bread was 179.6, unchanged from December but up 0.9% from January 2015. Under this heading, the C.P.I. for white bread was 325.9, up 0.1% from December and up 0.9% from January 2015. For bread other than white, the index was 346, down 0.1% from December but up 1.2% from a year ago.
The price index for fresh biscuits, rolls and muffins in January was 178.3, up 0.6% from December and up 1.1% from January 2015. The January index for cakes, cupcakes and cookies was 283.8, up 0.8% from December and up 2.3% from January 2015. Under this segment, other price indexes included fresh cakes and cupcakes, 300.4, up 0.7% from December and up 4.5% from January 2015; and cookies, 270.2, up 0.6% from the previous month and up 0.3% from the previous year.
The C.P.I. for other bakery products in January was 266, up 1.6% from December and up 0.1% from January 2015. Under this heading, other price indexes in January included: fresh sweet rolls, coffee cakes and donuts, 293, up 1.1% from December but down 0.2% from January 2015; crackers and cracker products, 306.9, up 1.3% from December and up 0.4% from January 2015; and frozen and refrigerated bakery products, pies, tarts and turnovers, 269.1, up 1.5% from December but down 0.8% from the previous year.
