WASHINGTON, DC, US — A month after registering its largest month-over-month increase, the Consumer Price Index for baked foods and cereal products gave back ground in May, easing 0.1%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the US Department of Labor. The index for all food at home, meanwhile, increased 0.8%.

Of the 18 items followed by Milling & Baking News, a sister publication of World Grain, 10 posted month-over-month gains and 8 finished lower.

The May index for Cereals and Bakery Products before seasonal adjustment was 284.9 of the 1982-84 average, up 2.5% from a year ago. For all food at home, the May index was 253.8, up 4.6% from May 2019.

The CPI for cereals and cereal products in May was 235.7, up 1.4% from April and up 3.1% from May 2019. The index for products within this category included: flour and prepared mixes, 240.8, up 0.7% from April and up 0.8% from the previous year; breakfast cereal, 228, up 1.4% from the previous month and up 2.3% from a year ago; and rice, pasta and corn meal, 249.3, up 1.8% from April and up 4.8% from May 2019.

The price index for bakery products in May was 313.4, down 0.8% from April but up 2.2% from May 2019.

The May index for bread was 190.7, down 1.8% from April but up 3.5% from May 2019. Under this heading, the CPI for white bread was 347.5, down 2.2% from April but up 4.1% from May 2019. For bread other than white, the index was 369.7, down 1.3% from April but up 2.6% from a year ago.

The price index for fresh biscuits, rolls and muffins in May was 184.5, down 0.9% from April but up 1.8% from May 2019. The May index for cakes, cupcakes and cookies was 294.4, down 0.8% from April but up 0.7% from May 2019. Under this segment, other price indexes included fresh cakes and cupcakes, 314.5, up 1.8% from April but down 1% from May 2019; and cookies, 277.2, down 3.1% from the previous month but up 1.6% from the previous year.

The CPI for other bakery products in May was 279.7, up 0.3% from April and up 2.5% from May 2019. Under this heading, other price indexes in May included: fresh sweet rolls, coffee cakes and donuts, 323.3, up 0.3% from April and up 2.8% from May 2019; crackers and cracker products, 323, up 0.6% from April and up 3.9% from May 2019; and frozen and refrigerated bakery products, pies, tarts and turnovers, 275, up 0.7% from April and up 1.1% from the previous year.