WASHINGTON — The Consumer Price Index for baked foods and cereal products again rose 0.3%, increasing to 268.7 in May from 268 in April, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. The index for all food at home, meanwhile, fell 0.1% after rising 0.1% in both March and April.
Of the 18 items followed by Milling & Baking News, 10 posted month-over-month gains, 6 finished lower and two were unchanged.
The May index for Cereals and Bakery Products before seasonal adjustment was 268.7% of the 1982-84 average, up 3.6% from a year ago. For all food at home, the May index was 231.5, up 2.6% from May 2011.
The C.P.I. for cereals and cereal products in May was 235.1, up 0.6% from April and up 3.9% from May 2011. The index for products within this category included: flour and prepared mixes, 254.3, up 0.9% from April and up 5.5% from the previous year; breakfast cereal, 230.3, up 0.6% from the previous month and up 2.9% from a year ago; and rice, pasta and corn meal, 241.6, up 0.4% from April and up 4.7% from May 2011.
The price index for bakery products in May was 286.6, unchanged from April and up 3.4% from May 2011.
The May index for bread was 173.6, unchanged from April and up 2.9% from May 2011. Under this heading, the C.P.I. for white bread was 314.3, down 0.1% from April but up 2.6% from May 2011. For bread other than white, the index was 336.5, up 0.3% from April and up 2.9% from a year ago.
The price index for fresh biscuits, rolls and muffins in May was 167.2, up 0.6% from April and up 2.9% from May 2011. The May index for cakes, cupcakes and cookies was 264.8, down 1.3% from April but up 5.4% from May 2011. Under this segment, other price indexes included fresh cakes and cupcakes, 272.8, down 2.2% from April but up 4.5% from May 2011; and cookies, 257.4, down 0.4% from the previous month but up 6.9% from the previous year.
The C.P.I. for other bakery products in May was 261.8, up 0.8% from April and up 2.3% from May 2011. Under this heading, other price indexes in May included: fresh sweet rolls, coffee cakes and donuts, 272.3, up 1.3% from April and up 3.5% from May 2011; crackers and cracker products, 307.2, down 0.1% from April but up 2.3% from May 2011; and frozen and refrigerated bakery products, pies, tarts and turnovers, 269, down 0.1% from April but up 1.7% from the previous year.