WASHINGTON, DC, US — The Consumer Price Index for baked foods and cereal products rose 1.2% in January, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the US Department of Labor. The index for all food at home, meanwhile, increased 0.8%.

Of the 18 items followed by Milling & Baking News, a sister publication of World Grain, 16 posted month-over-month increases and two finished lower.

The January index for Cereals and Bakery Products before seasonal adjustment was 349.3% of the 1982-84 average, up 15.6% from a year ago. For all food at home, the January index was 301.4, up 11.3% from January 2022.

The CPI for cereals and cereal products in January was 285.6, up 1.3% from December and up 15.9% from January 2022. The index for products within this category included: flour and prepared mixes, 318.5, up 3.9% from December and up 20.4% from the previous year; breakfast cereal, 274, up 0.4% from the previous month and up 15% from a year ago; and rice, pasta and corn meal, 293.4, up 1.1% from December and up 14.9% from January 2022.

The price index for bakery products in January was 386.2, up 1.2% from December and up 15.4% from January 2022.

The January index for bread was 232.9, up 0.2% from December and up 14.9% from January 2022. Under this heading, the CPI for white bread was 424.7, down 0.1% from December but up 16.3% from January 2022. For bread other than white, the index was 452.3, up 0.8% from December and up 13.6% from a year ago.

The price index for fresh biscuits, rolls and muffins in January was 229.1, up 1.3% from December and up 15.8% from January 2022. The January index for cakes, cupcakes and cookies was 366.6, up 1.7% from December and up 16.3% from January 2022. Under this segment, other price indexes included fresh cakes and cupcakes, 382, up 1.1% from December and up 13.5% from January 2022; and cookies, 346.5, up 2.5% from the previous month and up 17.7% from the previous year.