WASHINGTON — The average price paid for white pan bread fell sharply while whole wheat bread climbed in November, 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 139.9c, down 5.8c per lb from October but up 2.4c from November 2010. The loss followed a decrease of 2c per lb in October. On a month-to-month basis, the average price for white pan bread in November fell in all three regions — down 9.5c in the West, down 7.4c in the Midwest, and down 3c in the South.
At 209.3c per lb, the national average price for whole wheat bread was up 5.2c per lb from October and up 20.9c per lb from November 2010. The new record high eclipsed the previous record of 207.3c per lb set in October.
The national average price of family flour in November was 51.7c per lb, down 2.5c from October but up 7.1c from November 2010. It was the sharpest month-over-month decline since falling 2.6c per lb in November 2010. The price was down in three regions — down 5c in the West, down 4.1c in the Midwest and down 1.6c in the South — and up in one region — up 0.4c in the Northeast.
The national average price for spaghetti and macaroni in November was 132.8c per lb, up 4.9c from October and up 18.7c from November 2010. Chocolate chip cookies were 362c per lb, up 5.1c from October and up 27.3c from November 2010. The national average price of white long-grain rice was 75.2c per lb, down 1.5c from October but up 4.2c from November 2010.