WASHINGTON — The average price paid for white pan bread increased in December while the price of whole wheat bread fell sharply in the month, 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 142.8c, up 1.9c per lb from November but down 3.8c from December 2014. On a month-to-month basis, the average price for white pan bread in December increased in all four regions — up 4.5c in the Northeast, up 4.2c in the Midwest, up 0.5c in the South and up 0.1c in the West.

At 194.9c per lb, the national average price for whole wheat bread was down 7.9c per lb from November and down 4.5c per lb from December 2014.

The national average price of family flour in December was 50.1c per lb, up 0.5c from November but down 1c from December 2014.

The national average price for spaghetti and macaroni in December was 129.2c per lb, up 2.6c from November and up 12.8c from December 2014. Chocolate chip cookies were 331.6c per lb, down 9.7c from November and down 18.2c from December 2014. The national average price of white long-grain rice was 71.1c per lb, down 2.1c from November but up 1.1c from December 2014.