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 0.4%.
Of the 18 items followed by Milling & Baking News, 12 posted month-over-month gains, 5 finished lower, and 1 was unchanged.
The January index for Cereals and Bakery Products before seasonal adjustment was 272.9% of the 1982-84 average, down 0.6% from a year ago. For all food at home, the January index was 237.4, down 1.9% from January 2016.
The C.P.I. for cereals and cereal products in January was 229.4, up 0.4% from December but down 1.1% from January 2016. The index for products within this category included: flour and prepared mixes, 239.9, up 4.6% from December but down 2.5% from the previous year; breakfast cereal, 225, down 1.2% from the previous month and down 0.5% from a year ago; and rice, pasta and corn meal, 237.5, up 1.3% from December but down 1.6% from January 2016.
The price index for bakery products in January was 297.8, up 0.7% from December but down 0.3% from January 2016.
The January index for bread was 178, unchanged from December but down 0.9% from January 2016. Under this heading, the C.P.I. for white bread was 324.1, down 0.1% from December and down 0.6% from January 2016. For bread other than white, the index was 341.7, down 0.3% from December and down 1.3% from a year ago.
The price index for fresh biscuits, rolls and muffins in January was 176, down 0.6% from December and down 1.3% from January 2016. The January index for cakes, cupcakes and cookies was 285.5, up 0.8% from December and up 0.6% from January 2016. Under this segment, other price indexes included fresh cakes and cupcakes, 302.7, up 0.4% from December and up 0.8% from January 2016; and cookies, 272.7, up 1.2% from the previous month and up 0.9% from the previous year.
The C.P.I. for other bakery products in January was 265.6, up 1.7% from December but down 0.2% from January 2016. Under this heading, other price indexes in January included: fresh sweet rolls, coffee cakes and donuts, 289.8, down 1.4% from December and down 1.1% from January 2016; crackers and cracker products, 306.1, up 2.4% from December but down 0.3% from January 2016; and frozen and refrigerated bakery products, pies, tarts and turnovers, 269.7, up 2.4% from December and up 0.2% from the previous year.
