WASHINGTON — The Consumer Price Index for baked foods and cereal products finished narrowly higher in August, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. The index for all food at home, meanwhile, finished narrowly lower, easing 0.1%.
Of the 18 items followed by Milling & Baking News, 9 posted month-over-month increases, 8 finished lower, and 1 was unchanged.
The August index for Cereals and Bakery Products before seasonal adjustment was 273.1% of the 1982-84 average, down 0.7% from a year ago. For all food at home, the August index was 238.2, down 1.9% from August 2015.
The C.P.I. for cereals and cereal products in August was 231.2, down 1% from July and down 1.6% from August 2015. The index for products within this category included: flour and prepared mixes, 243.3, down 1.3% from July and down 1.5% from the previous year; breakfast cereal, 225.7, down 1.5% from the previous month and down 2% from a year ago; and rice, pasta and corn meal, 240.4, down 0.3% from July and down 1.1% from August 2015.
The price index for bakery products in August was 296.9, up 0.4% from July but down 0.2% from August 2015.
The August index for bread was 178.5, unchanged from July but up 0.2% from August 2015. Under this heading, the C.P.I. for white bread was 321.1, down 0.9% from July and down 0.1% from August 2015. For bread other than white, the index was 348.8, up 1.2% from July and up 1% from a year ago.
The price index for fresh biscuits, rolls and muffins in August was 175.2, up 0.5% from July but down 0.4% from August 2015. The August index for cakes, cupcakes and cookies was 279.2, up 0.1% from July but down 0.3% from August 2015. Under this segment, other price indexes included fresh cakes and cupcakes, 299.3, up 0.1% from July and up 1.9% from August 2015; and cookies, 264.9, up 0.3% from the previous month and up 1.9% from the previous year.
The C.P.I. for other bakery products in August was 267.7, up 0.9% from July but down 0.5% from August 2015. Under this heading, other price indexes in August included: fresh sweet rolls, coffee cakes and donuts, 291.6, down 1.3% from July and down 1.8% from August 2015; crackers and cracker products, 312.8, up 2.1% from July but down 0.1% from August 2015; and frozen and refrigerated bakery products, pies, tarts and turnovers, 268.5, up 0.6% from July but down 0.9% from the previous year.