WASHINGTON — The Consumer Price Index for baked foods and cereal products fell 0.4% in February, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. The index for all food at home also eased, decreasing 0.3%.
Of the 18 items followed by Milling & Baking News, 15 posted month-over-month declines, and 3 finished higher.
The February index for Cereals and Bakery Products before seasonal adjustment was 271.2% of the 1982-84 average, down 0.2% from a year ago. For all food at home, the February index was 239.2, up 0.5% from February 2017.
The C.P.I. for cereals and cereal products in February was 226.3, down 0.1% from January and down 1.3% from February 2017. The index for products within this category included: flour and prepared mixes, 241.7, up 1.2% from January and up 1.7% from the previous year; breakfast cereal, 219.2, down 1.5% from the previous month and down 3.2% from a year ago; and rice, pasta and corn meal, 235.8, up 1.3% from January but down 0.1% from February 2017.
The price index for bakery products in February was 297, down 0.5% from January but up 0.4% from February 2017.
The February index for bread was 176.3, down 0.5% from January and down 1.3% from February 2017. Under this heading, the C.P.I. for white bread was 317.4, down 0.6% from January and down 2.6% from February 2017. For bread other than white, the index was 342.9, down 0.7% from January and down 0.1% from a year ago.
The price index for fresh biscuits, rolls and muffins in February was 177.3, down 0.5% from January but up 2.5% from February 2017. The February index for cakes, cupcakes and cookies was 288.3, down 0.1% from January but up 2% from February 2017. Under this segment, other price indexes included fresh cakes and cupcakes, 306.1, down 0.1% from January but up 0.7% from February 2017; and cookies, 273, down 0.2% from the previous month but up 2.5% from the previous year.
The C.P.I. for other bakery products in February was 262.9, down 0.8% from January and down 0.4% from February 2017. Under this heading, other price indexes in February included: fresh sweet rolls, coffee cakes and donuts, 297.6, up 0.9% from January and up 1.2% from February 2017; crackers and cracker products, 297.8, down 1.2% from January and down 1.8% from February 2017; and frozen and refrigerated bakery products, pies, tarts and turnovers, 267.9, down 0.9% from January but up 0.9% from the previous year.
