WASHINGTON — The Consumer Price Index for baked foods and cereal products rose 1% in April, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the US Department of Labor. The index for all food at home, meanwhile, increased 1.3%.
Of the 18 items followed by Milling & Baking News, 16 posted month-over-month increases in April.
The April index for Cereals and Bakery Products before seasonal adjustment was 314.8% of the 1982-84 average, up 10.3% from a year ago. For all food at home, the April index was 282.2, up 10.8% from April 2021.
The sharp year-over-year gains were a reflection of the broader CPI, which was up 8.3% from a year ago.
The overall food index also was much stronger than a year ago, posting a 9.4% year-over-year increase. The 9.4% increase was the food index’s sharpest year-over-year gain since a 9.5% increase in April 1981.
The CPI for cereals and cereal products in April was 258.8, up 1.1% from March and up 11.9% from April 2021. The index for products within this category included: flour and prepared mixes, 268.7, down 1.6% from March but up 14% from the previous year; breakfast cereal, 252.6, up 2.4% from the previous month and up 12.1% from a year ago; and rice, pasta and corn meal, 268.7, up 0.8% from March and up 10.7% from April 2021.
The price index for bakery products in April was 347.1, up 1% from March and up 9.6% from April 2021.
The April index for bread was 209.3, up 2% from March and up 9.1% from April 2021. Under this heading, the CPI for white bread was 377, up 2% from March and up 8.6% from April 2021. For bread other than white, the index was 410.7, up 1.9% from March and up 9.8% from a year ago.
The price index for fresh biscuits, rolls and muffins in April was 205.9, down 1% from March but up 10.1% from April 2021. The April index for cakes, cupcakes and cookies was 325.1, up 0.9% from March and up 7.2% from April 2021. Under this segment, other price indexes included fresh cakes and cupcakes, 346.9, up 1% from March and up 8.2% from April 2021; and cookies, 302.4, up 0.3% from the previous month and up 6.6% from the previous year.
The CPI for other bakery products in April was 311.9, up 1.1% from March and up 11.7% from April 2021. Under this heading, other price indexes in April included: fresh sweet rolls, coffee cakes and donuts, 357.4, up 0.7% from March and up 8.9% from April 2021; crackers and cracker products, 368.8, up 0.8% from March and up 14.1% from April 2021; and frozen and refrigerated bakery products, pies, tarts and turnovers, 303.8, up 1.9% from March and up 13.3% from the previous year.
