WASHINGTON, DC, US — The Consumer Price Index for baked foods and cereal products fell 0.3% in January, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. The index for all food at home, meanwhile, rose, increasing 0.3%.

Of the 18 items followed by Milling & Baking News, a sister publication of World Grain, 12 posted month-over-month declines and 6 finished higher.

The January index for Cereals and Bakery Products before seasonal adjustment was 282.9% of the 1982-84 average, up 2.5% from a year ago. For all food at home, the January index was 252.1, up 3.7% from January 2020.

The CPI for cereals and cereal products in January was 232.5, down 0.1% from December but up 2.6% from January 2020. The index for products within this category included: flour and prepared mixes, 239.7, up 2.9% from December and up 1.7% from the previous year; breakfast cereal, 226.4, down 0.7% from the previous month but up 3.2% from a year ago; and rice, pasta and corn meal, 243.3, down 0.5% from December but up 2.4% from January 2020.

The price index for bakery products in January was 312.1, down 0.4% from December but up 2.5% from January 2020.

The January index for bread was 191.6, down 0.8% from December but up 3.5% from January 2020. Under this heading, the CPI for white bread was 346, down 1.3% from December but up 2.3% from January 2020. For bread other than white, the index was 374.4, down 0.5% from December but up 4.8% from a year ago.

The price index for fresh biscuits, rolls and muffins in January was 186.5, up 0.4% from December and up 4.1% from January 2020. The January index for cakes, cupcakes and cookies was 297.1, up 0.2% from December and up 1.5% from January 2020. Under this segment, other price indexes included fresh cakes and cupcakes, 316.5, up 2% from December and up 0.1% from January 2020; and cookies, 277.5, down 0.9% from the previous month but up 2.1% from the previous year.

The CPI for other bakery products in January was 271.4, down 0.8% from December but up 1.6% from January 2019. Under this heading, other price indexes in January included: fresh sweet rolls, coffee cakes and donuts, 323.4, down 1.4% from December but up 4.2% from January 2020; crackers and cracker products, 311.2, up 1.3% from December and up 3.2% from January 2020; and frozen and refrigerated bakery products, pies, tarts and turnovers, 265.4, down 1.7% from December and down 0.7% from the previous year.