WASHINGTON — The Consumer Price Index for baked foods and cereal products increased 1.6% in May, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the US Department of Labor. The index for all food at home, meanwhile, rose 1.3%.
Of the 18 items followed by Milling & Baking News, 17 posted month-over-month increases in May, with the exception being fresh biscuits, rolls and muffins, which eased for the second straight month.
The May index for Cereals and Bakery Products before seasonal adjustment was 319.9% of the 1982-84 average, up 11.6% from a year ago. For all food at home, the May index was 285.9, up 11.9% from May 2021.
The sharp year-over-year gains were a reflection of the broader CPI, which was up 8.6% from a year ago.
The overall food index also was much stronger than a year ago, posting a 10.1% year-over-year increase. The 10.1% increase was the food index’s sharpest year-over-year gain since it was also 10.1% in March 1981.
The CPI for cereals and cereal products in May was 263.8, up 1.9% from April and up 12.8% from May 2021. The index for products within this category included: flour and prepared mixes, 274.3, up 2.1% from April and up 13.7% from the previous year; breakfast cereal, 256, up 1.3% from the previous month and up 12.2% from a year ago; and rice, pasta and corn meal, 275.4, up 2.5% from April and up 12.8% from May 2021.
The price index for bakery products in May was 352.3, up 1.5% from April and up 11.1% from May 2021.
The May index for bread was 210.3, up 0.5% from April and up 8.7% from May 2021. Under this heading, the CPI for white bread was 379.3, up 0.6% from April and up 8.1% from May 2021. For bread other than white, the index was 412.4, up 0.4% from April and up 9.2% from a year ago.
The price index for fresh biscuits, rolls and muffins in May was 205.6, down 0.2% from April but up 9.7% from May 2021. The May index for cakes, cupcakes and cookies was 335, up 3.1% from April and up 11.8% from May 2021. Under this segment, other price indexes included fresh cakes and cupcakes, 353.1, up 1.8% from April and up 10.6% from May 2021; and cookies, 314.4, up 4% from the previous month and up 12.6% from the previous year.
The CPI for other bakery products in May was 318, up 2% from April and up 13.4% from May 2021. Under this heading, other price indexes in May included: fresh sweet rolls, coffee cakes and donuts, 361.3, up 1.1% from April and up 10.6% from May 2021; crackers and cracker products, 375.6, up 1.9% from April and up 14.6% from May 2021; and frozen and refrigerated bakery products, pies, tarts and turnovers, 309.1, up 1.7% from April and up 14.6% from the previous year.