Baked foods and cereal
The Consumer Price Index for baked foods and cereal products fell 0.3% in September.
 

WASHINGTON — The Consumer Price Index for baked foods and cereal products fell 0.3% in September, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. The index for all food at home, meanwhile, increased 0.1%.

Of the 18 items followed by Milling & Baking News, 13 posted month-over-month decreases and 5 finished higher.

The September index for Cereals and Bakery Products before seasonal adjustment was 271.8% of the 1982-84 average, down 0.1% from a year ago. For all food at home, the September index was 239.1, up 0.4% from September 2016.

The C.P.I. for cereals and cereal products in September was 227.2, down 0.5% from August and down 1.2% from September 2016. The index for products within this category included: flour and prepared mixes, 237.5, down 0.8% from August and down 2.2% from the previous year; breakfast cereal, 224.5, up 0.3% from the previous month but down 1% from a year ago; and rice, pasta and corn meal, 232.9, down 1.6% from August and down 1.2% from September 2016.

The price index for bakery products in September was 297.3, down 0.2% from August but up 0.4% from September 2016.

The September index for bread was 178.1, down 0.6% from August but up 0.3% from September 2016. Under this heading, the C.P.I. for white bread was 323.1, down 0.6% from August but up 0.6% from September 2016. For bread other than white, the index was 343.7, down 0.8% from August and down 0.1% from a year ago.

The price index for fresh biscuits, rolls and muffins in September was 175.2, up 0.8% from August but down 0.7% from September 2016. The September index for cakes, cupcakes and cookies was 281.7, down 0.4% from August and unchanged from September 2016. Under this segment, other price indexes included fresh cakes and cupcakes, 303.1, up 0.6% from August and up 0.6% from September 2016; and cookies, 266.2, down 1% from the previous month and down 0.5% from the previous year.

The C.P.I. for other bakery products in September was 267.5, down 0.1% from August but up 1.5% from September 2016. Under this heading, other price indexes in September included: fresh sweet rolls, coffee cakes and donuts, 297.4, up 0.5% from August and up 0.1% from September 2016; crackers and cracker products, 306.8, down 0.2% from August but up 1.6% from September 2016; and frozen and refrigerated bakery products, pies, tarts and turnovers, 270.1, down 0.4% from August but up 1.7% from the previous year.