WASHINGTON, DC, US — The Consumer Price Index for baked foods and cereal products increased 0.4% in June, its fifth straight month of gains, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the US Department of Labor. The index for all food at home rose 0.7%.

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

The June index for Cereals and Bakery Products before seasonal adjustment was 286.8% of the 1982-84 average, up 0.2% from a year ago. For all food at home, the June index was 257.4, up 0.9% from June 2020.

The CPI for cereals and cereal products in June was 234.9, up 0.4% from May but down 0.9% from June 2020. The index for products within this category included: flour and prepared mixes, 242.8, up 0.6% from May but down 0.8% from the previous year; breakfast cereal, 229.8, up 0.7% from the previous month but down 0.3% from a year ago; and rice, pasta and corn meal, 244.3, up 0.1% from May but down 1.5% from June 2020.

The price index for bakery products in June was 316.8, down 0.1% from May but up 0.7% from June 2020.

The June index for bread was 192.9, down 0.4% from May but up 1.6% from June 2020. Under this heading, the CPI for white bread was 350.5, down 0.1% from May but up 1.5% from June 2020. For bread other than white, the index was 374.4, down 0.9% from May but up 1.7% from a year ago.

The price index for fresh biscuits, rolls and muffins in June was 187.8, up 0.2% from May and up 1.7% from June 2020. The June index for cakes, cupcakes and cookies was 300.9, up 0.4% from May and up 0.7% from June 2020. Under this segment, other price indexes included fresh cakes and cupcakes, 325.6, up 2% from May but unchanged from June 2020; and cookies, 277.5, down 0.6% from the previous month and down 0.6% from the previous year.