WASHINGTON, DC, US — The Consumer Price Index for baked foods and cereal products decreased 0.2% in August, ending a string of six months of gains, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the US Department of Labor. The index for all food at home, meanwhile, rose 0.3%.

Of the 18 items followed by Milling & Baking News, a sister publication of World Grain, 10 posted month-over-month decreases, 6 posted gains and 2 were unchanged.

The August index for Cereals and Bakery Products before seasonal adjustment was 289% of the 1982-84 average, up 1.6% from a year ago. For all food at home, the August index was 259.8, up 3% from August 2020.

The CPI for cereals and cereal products in August was 236.2, unchanged from July and up 1.7% from August 2020. The index for products within this category included: flour and prepared mixes, 248.8, up 1.4% from July and up 2.6% from the previous year; breakfast cereal, 229.9, down 0.1% from the previous month but up 3.6% from a year ago; and rice, pasta and corn meal, 245.5, down 0.5% from July and down 0.7% from August 2020.

The price index for bakery products in August was 319.5, down 0.3% from July but up 1.5% from August 2020.

The August index for bread was 193, down 0.1% from July but up 0.6% from August 2020. Under this heading, the CPI for white bread was 347, down 0.5% from July and down 1.3% from August 2020. For bread other than white, the index was 379, up 0.2% from July and up 2.5% from a year ago.

The price index for fresh biscuits, rolls and muffins in August was 186.3, down 1.4% from July and unchanged from August 2020. The August index for cakes, cupcakes and cookies was 304.4 up 0.1% from July and up 3% from August 2020. Under this segment, other price indexes included fresh cakes and cupcakes, 325.4, down 0.6% from July but up 3.8% from August 2020; and cookies, 283.2, up 0.1% from the previous month and up 1.3% from the previous year.

The CPI for other bakery products in August was 285.2, down 0.2% from July but up 2% from August 2020. Under this heading, other price indexes in August included: fresh sweet rolls, coffee cakes and donuts, 330.1, up 0.2% from July and up 1.2% from August 2020; crackers and cracker products, 333.9, down 0.5% from July but up 3.8% from August 2020; and frozen and refrigerated bakery products, pies, tarts and turnovers, 275.2, down 0.2% from July but up 1.1% from the previous year.