WASHINGTON — A month after both categories sustained gains, the average price paid for white pan bread and whole wheat bread fell 1.6c per lb and 4c per lb, respectively, in August, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor.

The national average retail price of white pan bread was 137.5c, according to the B.L.S. The August price for white pan bread decreased 0.6c compared with August 2008, the first time the year-over-year price has been lower since June 2006. On a month-to-month basis, the average price for white pan bread rose in one region — up 12.4c in the Northeast — and fell in three, easing 13.2c in the West, 2.8c in the South and 1c in the Midwest.

At 183.5c per lb, the national average price for whole wheat bread was down 11.5c per lb from August 2008.

The national average price of family flour in August was 51.7c per lb, down 0.2c from July and down 2.2c from August 2008.

The national average price for spaghetti and macaroni in August was 122.6c per lb, up 2.8c from July and up 8.7c from August 2008. Chocolate chip cookies were 323.5c per lb, up 11.5c from July and up 33.3c from August 2008.