WASHINGTON — The Consumer Price Index for baked foods and cereal products increased 0.7% in June, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. The index for all food at home decreased 0.1%.
Of the 18 items followed by Milling & Baking News, 11 posted month-over-month increases, and 7 finished lower.
The June index for Cereals and Bakery Products before seasonal adjustment was 273.7% of the 1982-84 average, up 0.5% from a year ago. For all food at home, the June index was 239.2, up 0.4% from June 2017.
The C.P.I. for cereals and cereal products in June was 227.7, up 0.4% from May and unchanged from June 2017. The index for products within this category included: flour and prepared mixes, 241, down 0.6% from May but up 1.7% from the previous year; breakfast cereal, 220.5, down 0.2% from the previous month and down 1.8% from a year ago; and rice, pasta and corn meal, 238.2, up 1.3% from May and up 1.6% from June 2017.
The price index for bakery products in June was 300.1, up 0.8% from May and up 0.7% from June 2017.
The June index for bread was 179.5, down 0.3% from May and down 0.4% from June 2017. Under this heading, the C.P.I. for white bread was 324, down 0.4% from May and down 0.8% from June 2017. For bread other than white, the index was 348.5, down 0.1% from May and down 0.1% from a year ago.
The price index for fresh biscuits, rolls and muffins in June was 177.9, up 0.8% from May and up 1.6% from June 2017. The June index for cakes, cupcakes and cookies was 289.1, up 2% from May and up 2.2% from June 2017. Under this segment, other price indexes included fresh cakes and cupcakes, 309.4, up 0.2% from May and up 2.2% from June 2017; and cookies, 272.5, up 3.6% from the previous month and up 2.1% from the previous year.
The C.P.I. for other bakery products in June was 266, up 0.8% from May but down 0.1% from June 2017. Under this heading, other price indexes in June included: fresh sweet rolls, coffee cakes and donuts, 293.6, down 1.2% from May but up 0.2% from June 2017; crackers and cracker products, 303.4, up 2.3% from May but down 1.9% from June 2017; and frozen and refrigerated bakery products, pies, tarts and turnovers, 271.5, up 0.3% from May and up 0.9% from the previous year.