Cereal and muffins
The Consumer Price Index for baked foods and cereal products finished unchanged in July.

WASHINGTON — The Consumer Price Index for baked foods and cereal products finished unchanged in July, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. The index for all food at home, meanwhile, decreased, falling 0.1%.

Of the 18 items followed by Milling & Baking News, 9 posted month-over-month decreases, 7 finished higher, and 2 were unchanged.

The July index for Cereals and Bakery Products before seasonal adjustment was 273.4% of the 1982-84 average, down 0.8% from a year ago. For all food at home, the July index was 238.2, down 1.6% from July 2015.

The C.P.I. for cereals and cereal products in July was 233.6, up 0.6% from June but down 0.8% from July 2015. The index for products within this category included: flour and prepared mixes, 246.5, up 1.5% from June but down 0.4% from the previous year; breakfast cereal, 229.1, up 0.6% from the previous month but down 0.7% from a year ago; and rice, pasta and corn meal, 241.2, up 0.3% from June but down 1.1% from July 2015.

The price index for bakery products in July was 295.8, down 0.3% from June and down 0.8% from July 2015.

The July index for bread was 178.5, unchanged from June but down 0.3% from July 2015. Under this heading, the C.P.I. for white bread was 323.9, up 0.2% from June but down 0.6% from July 2015. For bread other than white, the index was 344.7, down 0.3% from June but up 0.6% from a year ago.

The price index for fresh biscuits, rolls and muffins in July was 174.3, down 0.3% from June and down 1.1% from July 2015. The July index for cakes, cupcakes and cookies was 278.9, down 0.1% from June and down 0.2% from July 2015. Under this segment, other price indexes included fresh cakes and cupcakes, 299.1, up 1.6% from June and up 2.4% from July 2015; and cookies, 264.2, down 0.9% from the previous month and down 2.2% from the previous year.

The C.P.I. for other bakery products in July was 265.4, down 0.7% from June and down 1.6% from July 2015. Under this heading, other price indexes in July included: fresh sweet rolls, coffee cakes and donuts, 295.4, up 0.2% from June but down 0.1% from July 2015; crackers and cracker products, 306.1, down 1.3% from June and down 1.9% from July 2015; and frozen and refrigerated bakery products, pies, tarts and turnovers, 266.8, down 0.5% from June and down 2.2% from the previous year.