WASHINGTON — The Consumer Price Index for baked foods and cereal products fell 0.3% in October, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. The index for all food at home, meanwhile, increased 0.2%.
Of the 18 items followed by Milling & Baking News, 14 posted month-over-month decreases and 4 finished higher.
The October index for Cereals and Bakery Products before seasonal adjustment was 270.9% of the 1982-84 average, down 0.6% from a year ago. For all food at home, the October index was 239.5, up 0.6% from October 2016.
The C.P.I. for cereals and cereal products in October was 226.8, down 0.2% from September and down 1.3% from October 2016. The index for products within this category included: flour and prepared mixes, 235.5, down 0.8% from September and down 0.5% from the previous year; breakfast cereal, 224, down 0.2% from the previous month and down 1.1% from a year ago; and rice, pasta and corn meal, 233.1, up 0.1% from September but down 1.9% from October 2016.
The price index for bakery products in October was 296.1, down 0.4% from September and down 0.2% from October 2016.
The October index for bread was 177, down 0.6% from September and down 0.8% from October 2016. Under this heading, the C.P.I. for white bread was 320.5, down 0.8% from September and down 0.4% from October 2016. For bread other than white, the index was 343.3, down 0.1% from September and down 0.9% from a year ago.
The price index for fresh biscuits, rolls and muffins in October was 176.2, up 0.6% from September and up 0.4% from October 2016. The October index for cakes, cupcakes and cookies was 281.4, down 0.1% from September and down 0.2% from October 2016. Under this segment, other price indexes included fresh cakes and cupcakes, 301.8, down 0.4% from September but up 1.3% from October 2016; and cookies, 266.8, up 0.2% from the previous month but down 1% from the previous year.
The C.P.I. for other bakery products in October was 265.1, down 0.9% from September and down 0.1% from October 2016. Under this heading, other price indexes in October included: fresh sweet rolls, coffee cakes and donuts, 295.1, down 0.8% from September but up 2.1% from October 2016; crackers and cracker products, 304.2, down 0.8% from September and down 0.5% from October 2016; and frozen and refrigerated bakery products, pies, tarts and turnovers, 267.9, down 0.8% from September and down 1% from the previous year.
