WASHINGTON — The Consumer Price Index for baked foods and cereal products rose 0.1% in February, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. The index for all food at home, meanwhile, fell 0.1%.
Of the 18 items followed by Milling & Baking News, 8 posted month-over-month gains, 9 finished lower and one was unchanged.
The February index for Cereals and Bakery Products before seasonal adjustment was 269.3% of the 1982-84 average, up 0.6% from a year ago. For all food at home, the February index was 234, up 1.2% from February 2012.
The C.P.I. for cereals and cereal products in February was 232.9, up 0.7% from January but down 0.2% from February 2012. The index for products within this category included: flour and prepared mixes, 254.5, down 1% from January but up 1.5% from the previous year; breakfast cereal, 227.9, up 1.2% from the previous month but down 0.1% from a year ago; and rice, pasta and corn meal, 239.1, up 0.3% from January and up 1.3% from February 2012.
The price index for bakery products in February was 289.4, down 0.3% from January but up 1% from February 2012.
The February index for bread was 176.2, unchanged from January and up 1.8% from February 2012. Under this heading, the C.P.I. for white bread was 318.5, down 0.3% from January but up 1.1% from February 2012. For bread other than white, the index was 345.3, up 0.5% from January and up 3.1% from a year ago.
The price index for fresh biscuits, rolls and muffins in February was 169.8, down 1% from January but up 0.8% from February 2012. The February index for cakes, cupcakes and cookies was 267.4, down 0.9% from January but up 0.9% from February 2012. Under this segment, other price indexes included fresh cakes and cupcakes, 278.2, down 0.3% from January but up 0.8% from February 2012; and cookies, 257.5, down 1.5% from the previous month but up 0.7% from the previous year.
The C.P.I. for other bakery products in February was 262.2, up 0.2% from January and up 0.4% from February 2012. Under this heading, other price indexes in February included: fresh sweet rolls, coffee cakes and donuts, 286.6, up 0.6% from January and up 3.8% from February 2012; crackers and cracker products, 298.4, down 0.3% from January and down 2.6% from February 2012; and frozen and refrigerated bakery products, pies, tarts and turnovers, 271.4, up 0.3% from January and up 1% from the previous year.