WASHINGTON — The Consumer Price Index for baked foods and cereal products finished higher in October, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. The index for all food at home, meanwhile, was unchanged for the second consecutive month.
Of the 18 items followed by Milling & Baking News, 11 posted month-over-month increases, 6 finished lower and 1 was unchanged.
The October index for Cereals and Bakery Products before seasonal adjustment was 275.5% of the 1982-84 average, down 0.1% from a year ago. For all food at home, the October index was 238.1, down 2.4% from October 2015.
The C.P.I. for cereals and cereal products in October was 229.8, down 0.1% from September and down 2.1% from October 2015. The index for products within this category included: flour and prepared mixes, 236.6, down 2.6% from September and down 2% from the previous year; breakfast cereal, 226.4, down 0.2% from the previous month and down 2.4% from a year ago; and rice, pasta and corn meal, 237.6, up 0.8% from September but down 1.8% from October 2015.
The price index for bakery products in October was 296.8, up 0.3% from September but down 0.7% from October 2015.
The October index for bread was 178.5, up 0.5% from September but down 0.4% from October 2015. Under this heading, the C.P.I. for white bread was 321.9, up 0.3% from September but down 0.7% from October 2015. For bread other than white, the index was 346.4, up 0.7% from September but down 0.1% from a year ago.
The price index for fresh biscuits, rolls and muffins in October was 175.5, down 0.5% from September and down 1.7% from October 2015. The October index for cakes, cupcakes and cookies was 281.9, up 0.1% from September but down 0.1% from October 2015. Under this segment, other price indexes included fresh cakes and cupcakes, 297.9, down 1.1% from September and down 0.2% from October 2015; and cookies, 269.5, up 0.7% from the previous month but down 0.2% from the previous year.
The C.P.I. for other bakery products in October was 265.2, up 0.6% from September but down 1.1% from October 2015. Under this heading, other price indexes in October included: fresh sweet rolls, coffee cakes and donuts, 289, down 2.7% from September and down 2.5% from October 2015; crackers and cracker products, 305.8, up 1.3% from September but down 1% from October 2015; and frozen and refrigerated bakery products, pies, tarts and turnovers, 270.5, up 1.8% from September and up 0.1% from the previous year.
