WASHINGTON — The Consumer Price Index for baked foods and cereal products finished lower in November, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. The index for all food at home also was lower.
Of the 18 items followed by Milling & Baking News, 9 posted month-over-month decreases, 6 finished higher and 2 were unchanged.
The November index for Cereals and Bakery Products before seasonal adjustment was 271.9% of the 1982-84 average, down 0.7% from a year ago. For all food at home, the November index was 236.9, down 2.2% from November 2015.
The C.P.I. for cereals and cereal products in November was 232.2, down 0.7% from October and down 1.6% from November 2015. The index for products within this category included: flour and prepared mixes, 230.4, down 2.6% from October and down 0.9% from the previous year; breakfast cereal, 227, up 0.2% from the previous month but down 1.1% from a year ago; and rice, pasta and corn meal, 234.4, down 1.3% from October and down 2.4% from November 2015.
The price index for bakery products in November was 296.8, unchanged from October but down 0.2% from November 2015.
The November index for bread was 178.7, up 0.1% from October but down 0.7% from November 2015. Under this heading, the C.P.I. for white bread was 324.3, up 0.7% from October and up 0.3% from November 2015. For bread other than white, the index was 345.8, down 0.2% from October and down 1.2% from a year ago.
The price index for fresh biscuits, rolls and muffins in November was 175.7, up 0.1% from October but down 1.3% from November 2015. The November index for cakes, cupcakes and cookies was 283.7, up 0.7% from October and up 0.7% from November 2015. Under this segment, other price indexes included fresh cakes and cupcakes, 303.3, up 1.8% from October and up 1.4% from November 2015; and cookies, 269.5, unchanged from the previous month but up 0.3% from the previous year.
The C.P.I. for other bakery products in November was 263.4, down 0.7% from October and down 0.1% from November 2015. Under this heading, other price indexes in November included: fresh sweet rolls, coffee cakes and donuts, 292.3, up 1.1% from October but down 2.1% from November 2015; crackers and cracker products, 300.9, down 1.6% from October and down 0.2% from November 2015; and frozen and refrigerated bakery products, pies, tarts and turnovers, 268.5, down 0.7% from October but up 1.3% from the previous year.
