WASHINGTON, DC, US — The Consumer Price Index for baked foods and cereal products increased 0.1% in October, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the US Department of Labor. The index for all food at home also moved back, increasing 0.2%.

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 October index for Cereals and Bakery Products before seasonal adjustment was 284.7 of the 1982-84 average, up 2.9% from a year ago. For all food at home, the October index was 251.9, up 3.8% from October 2019.

The CPI for cereals and cereal products in October was 232.2, down 0.3% from September but up 2.7% from October 2019. The index for products within this category included: flour and prepared mixes, 238.1, down 0.9% from September but up 2.2% from the previous year; breakfast cereal, 226.9, up 0.2% from the previous month and up 2.9% from a year ago; and rice, pasta and corn meal, 242.6, down 0.5% from September but up 2.5% from October 2019.

The price index for bakery products in October was 315.1, up 0.3% from September and up 3% from October 2019.

The October index for bread was 193.6, up 0.7% from September and up 4.3% from October 2019. Under this heading, the CPI for white bread was 353, up 0.7% from September and up 4.7% from October 2019. For bread other than white, the index was 375.9, up 0.7% from September and up 4.4% from a year ago.

The price index for fresh biscuits, rolls and muffins in October was 186.3, down 0.5% from September but up 3.1% from October 2019. The October index for cakes, cupcakes and cookies was 297, up 0.9% from September and up 2.4% from October 2019. Under this segment, other price indexes included fresh cakes and cupcakes, 309.7, down 0.7% from September and down 0.2% from October 2019; and cookies, 283, up 2% from the previous month and up 3.2% from the previous year.

The CPI for other bakery products in October was 277.4, down 0.3% from September but up 2.1% from October 2019. Under this heading, other price indexes in October included: fresh sweet rolls, coffee cakes and donuts, 324.4, up 1.4% from September and up 3.8% from October 2019; crackers and cracker products, 314.8, down 1% from September but up 1.1% from October 2019; and frozen and refrigerated bakery products, pies, tarts and turnovers, 275.9, down 0.1% from September but up 2.5% from the previous year.