WASHINGTON — The Consumer Price Index for baked foods and cereal products finished lower in September, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. The index for all food at home, meanwhile, was unchanged.
Of the 18 items followed by Milling & Baking News, 11 posted month-over-month decreases, 6 finished higher, and 1 was unchanged.
The September index for Cereals and Bakery Products before seasonal adjustment was 272.1% of the 1982-84 average, down 0.5% from a year ago. For all food at home, the September index was 238.1, unchanged from September 2015.
The C.P.I. for cereals and cereal products in September was 230, down 0.5% from August and down 0.6% from September 2015. The index for products within this category included: flour and prepared mixes, 242.8, down 0.2% from August and down 1.4% from the previous year; breakfast cereal, 226.8, up 0.5% from the previous month and up 0.1% from a year ago; and rice, pasta and corn meal, 235.7, down 2% from August and down 1.2% from September 2015.
The price index for bakery products in September was 296, down 0.3% from August and down 0.5% from September 2015.
The September index for bread was 177.6, down 0.5% from August and down 1.1% from September 2015. Under this heading, the C.P.I. for white bread was 321, down 0.1% from August and down 1.5% from September 2015. For bread other than white, the index was 344, down 1.4% from August and down 0.5% from a year ago.
The price index for fresh biscuits, rolls and muffins in September was 176.4, up 0.7% from August and up 0.1% from September 2015. The September index for cakes, cupcakes and cookies was 281.7, up 0.9% from August and up 0.8% from September 2015. Under this segment, other price indexes included fresh cakes and cupcakes, 301.2, up 0.6% from August and up 2.2% from September 2015; and cookies, 267.5, up 1% from the previous month but down 0.5% from the previous year.
The C.P.I. for other bakery products in September was 263.6, down 1.5% from August and down 1.3% from September 2015. Under this heading, other price indexes in September included: fresh sweet rolls, coffee cakes and donuts, 297.6, up 1.8% from August and up 0.5% from September 2015; crackers and cracker products, 301.8, down 3.5% from August and down 2.1% from September 2015; and frozen and refrigerated bakery products, pies, tarts and turnovers, 265.5, down 1.1% from August and down 1% from the previous year.
