WASHINGTON — The average price paid for white pan bread increased in March, while the price for whole wheat bread decreased, 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 141.6c, up 0.9c per lb from February but down 2.4c from March 2015. On a month-to-month basis, the average price for white pan bread in March increased in two regions — up 3.3c in the West and up 1.5c in the Midwest — and fell in two regions — down 0.6c in the Northeast and down 0.4c in the South.
At 190.9c per lb, the national average price for whole wheat bread was down 3.8c per lb from February and down 13.3c per lb from March 2015. It was the lowest average price for whole wheat since August 2012.
The national average price of family flour in March was 51.2c per lb, down 1c from February and down 0.6c from March 2015.
The national average price for spaghetti and macaroni in March was 134.1c per lb, up 3.2c from February but down 5.1c from March 2015. Chocolate chip cookies were 340c per lb, up 11.1c from February but down 8.6c from March 2015. The national average price of white long-grain rice was 71.1c per lb, up 0.4c from February and up 4.1c from March 2015.
