WASHINGTON — The Consumer Price Index for baked foods and cereal products rose 0.2% in August, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. The index for all food at home, meanwhile, decreased 0.1%.
Of the 18 items followed by Milling & Baking News, 11 posted month-over-month increases and 7 finished lower.
The August index for Cereals and Bakery Products before seasonal adjustment was 272.5% of the 1982-84 average, down 0.2% from a year ago. For all food at home, the August index was 238.8, up 0.3% from August 2016.
The C.P.I. for cereals and cereal products in August was 228.3, down 0.1% from July and down 1.3% from August 2016. The index for products within this category included: flour and prepared mixes, 239.3, down 0.6% from July and down 1.7% from the previous year; breakfast cereal, 223.8, down 0.7% from the previous month and down 0.8% from a year ago; and rice, pasta and corn meal, 236.6, up 1% from July but down 1.6% from August 2016.
The price index for bakery products in August was 297.8, up 0.3% from July and up 0.3% from August 2016.
The August index for bread was 179.2, up 0.9% from July and up 0.4% from August 2016. Under this heading, the C.P.I. for white bread was 325, up 0.6% from July and up 1.2% from August 2016. For bread other than white, the index was 346.5, up 1.2% from July but down 0.7% from a year ago.
The price index for fresh biscuits, rolls and muffins in August was 173.8, down 0.3% from July and down 0.8% from August 2016. The August index for cakes, cupcakes and cookies was 282.8, up 0.2% from July and up 1.3% from August 2016. Under this segment, other price indexes included fresh cakes and cupcakes, 301.4, down 1% from July but up 0.7% from August 2016; and cookies, 268.8, up 1.2% from the previous month and up 1.5% from the previous year.
The C.P.I. for other bakery products in August was 267.6, up 0.3% from July but down 0.1% from August 2016. Under this heading, other price indexes in August included: fresh sweet rolls, coffee cakes and donuts, 295.9, up 1.2% from July and up 1.5% from August 2016; crackers and cracker products, 307.3, up 0.1% from July but down 1.8% from August 2016; and frozen and refrigerated bakery products, pies, tarts and turnovers, 271.1, down 0.5% from July but up 1% from the previous year.
