WASHINGTON — The Consumer Price Index for baked foods and cereal products advanced for the second straight month, increasing 0.1% in August after rising 0.4% in July, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. The index for all food at home also increased, rising 0.4%.
Of the 18 items followed by Milling & Baking News, 12 posted month-over-month gains and 6 finished lower.
The August index for Cereals and Bakery Products before seasonal adjustment was 272.1% of the 1982-84 average, up 0.3% from a year ago. For all food at home, the August index was 240.7, up 2.8% from August 2013.
The C.P.I. for cereals and cereal products in August was 234.3, down 0.3% from July but up 0.5% from August 2013. The index for products within this category included: flour and prepared mixes, 254.3, up 0.3% from July but down 1.1% from the previous year; breakfast cereal, 228.6, down 0.7% from the previous month but up 0.4% from a year ago; and rice, pasta and corn meal, 241.1, up 0.2% from July and up 0.7% from August 2013.
The price index for bakery products in August was 293.3, up 0.2% from July and up 0.2% from August 2013.
The August index for bread was 177.1, up 0.2% from July and unchanged from August 2013. Under this heading, the C.P.I. for white bread was 319.8, up 0.4% from July but down 0.3% from August 2013. For bread other than white, the index was 343.3, down 0.2% from July and down 0.3% from a year ago.
The price index for fresh biscuits, rolls and muffins in August was 171.7, up 0.6% from July but down 0.3% from August 2013. The August index for cakes, cupcakes and cookies was 272.8, down 0.1% from July but up 1.3% from August 2013. Under this segment, other price indexes included fresh cakes and cupcakes, 282.6, down 0.4% from July but up 0.2% from August 2013; and cookies, 265.6, up 0.6% from the previous month and up 2.6% from the previous year.
The C.P.I. for other bakery products in August was 267, up 0.2% from July but down 0.1% from August 2013. Under this heading, other price indexes in August included: fresh sweet rolls, coffee cakes and donuts, 293.3, up 2.1% from July and up 0.5% from August 2013; crackers and cracker products, 310.3, up 1.1% from July and up 0.5% from August 2013; and frozen and refrigerated bakery products, pies, tarts and turnovers, 271, down 1.8% from July and down 0.3% from the previous year.