WASHINGTON — The Consumer Price Index for baked foods and cereal products fell 0.3% in August, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. The index for all food at home declined 0.1%.
Of the 18 items followed by Milling & Baking News, 11 posted month-over-month decreases, 6 finished higher and 1 was unchanged.
The August index for Cereals and Bakery Products before seasonal adjustment was 276.6% of the 1982-84 average, up 1.2% from a year ago. For all food at home, the August index was 241.2, up 0.5% from August 2018.
The C.P.I. for cereals and cereal products in August was 228.4, down 0.9% from July and down 0.1% from August 2018. The index for products within this category included: flour and prepared mixes, 239.3, down 0.7% from July and down 0.3% from the previous year; breakfast cereal, 220.7, down 1.5% from the previous month and down 0.2% from a year ago; and rice, pasta and corn meal, 240.3, down 0.2% from July but up 0.1% from August 2018.
The price index for bakery products in August was 304.4, down 0.1% from July but up 1.8% from August 2018.
The August index for bread was 182.2, down 0.7% from July but up 1.2% from August 2018. Under this heading, the C.P.I. for white bread was 329.1, down 0.1% from July but up 1.3% from August 2018. For bread other than white, the index was 355.8, down 1.2% from July but up 1.5% from a year ago.
The price index for fresh biscuits, rolls and muffins in August was 178.1, up 0.4% from July and up 0.1% from August 2018. The August index for cakes, cupcakes and cookies was 292.7, unchanged from July and up 3% from August 2018. Under this segment, other price indexes included fresh cakes and cupcakes, 319.7, up 0.2% from July and up 4% from August 2018; and cookies, 273.5, up 0.3% from the previous month and up 3.1% from the previous year.
The C.P.I. for other bakery products in August was 271.6, up 0.3% from July and up 2.1% from August 2018. Under this heading, other price indexes in August included: fresh sweet rolls, coffee cakes and donuts, 310.6, up 0.2% from July and up 3.6% from August 2018; crackers and cracker products, 313.3, up 1.2% from July and up 2.2% from August 2018; and frozen and refrigerated bakery products, pies, tarts and turnovers, 268.7, down 0.1% from July but up 1.2% from the previous year.