WASHINGTON — The Consumer Price Index for baked foods and cereal products rose 0.3% in September, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. The index for all food at home advanced 0.1%.
Of the 18 items followed by Milling & Baking News, 11 posted month-over-month increases, 6 finished lower and 1 was unchanged.
The September index for Cereals and Bakery Products before seasonal adjustment was 277.3% of the 1982-84 average, up 1.3% from a year ago. For all food at home, the September index was 241.5, up 0.1% from September 2018.
The C.P.I. for cereals and cereal products in September was 227, down 0.6% from August and down 0.7% from September 2018. The index for products within this category included: flour and prepared mixes, 238.7, down 0.3% from August and down 1.3% from the previous year; breakfast cereal, 220.1, down 0.3% from the previous month and down 0.8% from a year ago; and rice, pasta and corn meal, 237.6, down 1.1% from August and down 0.4% from September 2018.
The price index for bakery products in September was 306.4, up 0.7% from August and up 2.2% from September 2018.
The September index for bread was 185.1, up 1.6% from August and up 3.2% from September 2018. Under this heading, the C.P.I. for white bread was 336.7, up 2.3% from August and up 4.2% from September 2018. For bread other than white, the index was 358, up 0.6% from August and up 2.7% from a year ago.
The price index for fresh biscuits, rolls and muffins in September was 179.6, up 0.8% from August but down 0.2% from September 2018. The September index for cakes, cupcakes and cookies was 292.7, unchanged from August and up 2.4% from September 2018. Under this segment, other price indexes included fresh cakes and cupcakes, 318.2, down 0.5% from August but up 3.2% from September 2018; and cookies, 274.7, up 0.4% from the previous month and up 2.3% from the previous year.
The C.P.I. for other bakery products in September was 272.3, up 0.3% from August and up 2.2% from September 2018. Under this heading, other price indexes in September included: fresh sweet rolls, coffee cakes and donuts, 311.5, up 0.3% from August and up 3.6% from September 2018; crackers and cracker products, 311.3, down 0.6% from August but up 2.7% from September 2018; and frozen and refrigerated bakery products, pies, tarts and turnovers, 270.5, up 0.7% from August and up 0.2% from the previous year.