WASHINGTON, DC, US — The Consumer Price Index for baked foods and cereal products rose 1.8% in March, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the US Department of Labor. The index for all food at home, meanwhile, increased 1.5%.

Of the 18 items followed by Milling & Baking News, a sister publication of World Grain, 17 posted month-over-month increases in March with the exception being fresh sweet rolls, coffee cakes and donuts, which fell 1.7% month-over-month.

The March index for Cereals and Bakery Products before seasonal adjustment was 311.6% of the 1982-84 average, up 9.4% from a year ago. For all food at home, the March index was 278.6, up 10% from March 2021.

The sharp year-over-year gains were a reflection of the broader CPI, which was up 8.5% from a year ago. The 8.5% increase is the biggest increase in the overall CPI since an 8.9% increase in December 1981.

The overall food index also was much stronger than a year ago, posting an 8.8% year-over-year increase. The 8.8% increase was the food index’s sharpest year-over-year gain since an 8.9% increase in May 1981.

The CPI for cereals and cereal products in March was 256, up 2.6% from February and up 10.1% from March 2021. The index for products within this category included: flour and prepared mixes, 273.1, up 2.6% from February and up 14.2% from the previous year; breakfast cereal, 246.6, up 2.4% from the previous month and up 9.2% from a year ago; and rice, pasta and corn meal, 266.6, up 2.7% from February and up 9.3% from March 2021.

The price index for bakery products in March was 343.8, up 1.4% from February and up 9.1% from March 2021.

The March index for bread was 205.3, up 0.8% from February and up 7.1% from March 2021. Under this heading, the CPI for white bread was 369.6, up 0.6% from February and up 5.9% from March 2021. For bread other than white, the index was 402.9, up 0.8% from February and up 8.5% from a year ago.

The price index for fresh biscuits, rolls and muffins in March was 207.9, up 2.6% from February and up 10.8% from March 2021. The March index for cakes, cupcakes and cookies was 322.2, up 1% from February and up 6.6% from March 2021. Under this segment, other price indexes included fresh cakes and cupcakes, 343.4, up 1.6% from February and up 8.4% from March 2021; and cookies, 301.4, up 0.5% from the previous month and up 5.9% from the previous year.

The CPI for other bakery products in March was 308.5, up 1.6% from February and up 12.1% from March 2021. Under this heading, other price indexes in March included: fresh sweet rolls, coffee cakes and donuts, 354.8, down 1.7% from February but up 10.4% from March 2021; crackers and cracker products, 365.9, up 2.3% from February and up 16.3% from March 2021; and frozen and refrigerated bakery products, pies, tarts and turnovers, 298.1, up 2.2% from February and up 10.6% from the previous year.