WASHINGTON — The Consumer Price Index for baked foods and cereal products rose 0.1% in February, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. The index for all food at home also rose, increasing 0.1%.
Of the 18 items followed by Milling & Baking News, 8 posted month-over-month gains, 9 finished lower and 1 was unchanged.
The February index for Cereals and Bakery Products before seasonal adjustment was 274.8% of the 1982-84 average, up 0.6% from a year ago. For all food at home, the February index was 242.1, down 0.3% from February 2015.
The C.P.I. for cereals and cereal products in February was 233.9, up 0.8% from January and up 0.3% from February 2015. The index for products within this category included: flour and prepared mixes, 244.8, down 0.4% from January and down 3.1% from the previous year; breakfast cereal, 229.5, up 1.4% from the previous month and up 0.8% from a year ago; and rice, pasta and corn meal, 242, up 0.3% from January and up 0.9% from February 2015.
The price index for bakery products in February was 297.9, down 0.3% from January but up 0.8% from February 2015.
The February index for bread was 179.6, unchanged from January but up 1.1% from February 2015. Under this heading, the C.P.I. for white bread was 324.4, down 0.5% from January but up 1.5% from February 2015. For bread other than white, the index was 348, up 0.6% from January and up 0.9% from a year ago.
The price index for fresh biscuits, rolls and muffins in February was 176.7, down 0.9% from January and down 0.3% from February 2015. The February index for cakes, cupcakes and cookies was 281.6, down 0.8% from January but up 1.3% from February 2015. Under this segment, other price indexes included fresh cakes and cupcakes, 298.3, down 0.7% from January but up 3.4% from February 2015; and cookies, 268.8, down 0.5% from the previous month and down 0.4% from the previous year.
The C.P.I. for other bakery products in February was 266.3, up 0.1% from January and up 0.7% from February 2015. Under this heading, other price indexes in February included: fresh sweet rolls, coffee cakes and donuts, 295.3, up 0.8% from January and up 3.5% from February 2015; crackers and cracker products, 306.1, down 0.3% from January and unchanged from February 2015; and frozen and refrigerated bakery products, pies, tarts and turnovers, 268.8, down 0.1% from January and down 0.6% from the previous year.
