WASHINGTON — Mixed price moves occurred in the average price paid for white pan bread and whole wheat bread during December, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor.

The national average retail price of white pan bread was 139c, up 1.7c per lb from November but down 2.5c from December 2008. The gain follows a 1.9c month-over-month decline in November. On a month-to-month basis, the average price for white pan bread rose in three regions — up 8c in the Northeast, up 2.1c in the West and up 0.9c in the South — and fell in one region — down 0.2c in the Midwest.

At 175.7c per lb, the national average price for whole wheat bread was down 5.2c per lb from November and down 19.1c per lb from December 2008. The average price of whole wheat bread now has dropped 13.6c per lb in the past two months, the sharpest two-month decline on record.

The national average price of family flour in December was 46.4c per lb, up 0.6c from November but down 4c from December 2008. It was the first month-over-month gain since July 2009.

The national average price for spaghetti and macaroni in December was 116.9c per lb, down 2.4c from November but up 3.5c from December 2008. Chocolate chip cookies were 340.7c per lb, up 24c from November and up 35.9c from December 2008. The cookie price was a record high and the month-over-month gain was the largest on record.