WASHINGTON, DC, US — The Consumer Price Index for baked foods and cereal products rose 0.9% in March, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the US Department of Labor. The index for all food at home, meanwhile, decreased 0.2%.

Of the 18 items followed by Milling & Baking News, a sister publication of World Grain, 15 posted month-over-month increases and 3 finished lower.

The March index for Cereals and Bakery Products before seasonal adjustment was 353.9% of the 1982-84 average, up 13.6% from a year ago. For all food at home, the March index was 301.9, up 8.4% from March 2022.

The CPI for cereals and cereal products in March was 288.7, up 1.3% from February and up 12.8% from March 2022. The index for products within this category included: flour and prepared mixes, 320.9, up 0.6% from February and up 17.5% from the previous year; breakfast cereal, 277.5, up 2.4% from the previous month and up 12.5% from a year ago; and rice, pasta and corn meal, 296.4, up 0.6% from February and up 11.2% from March 2022.

The price index for bakery products in March was 391.6, up 0.7% from February and up 13.9% from March 2022.

The March index for bread was 236.5, up 0.4% from February and up 15.2% from March 2022. Under this heading, the CPI for white bread was 430.5, up 1% from February but up 16.5% from March 2022. For bread other than white, the index was 458.4, down 0.3% from February but up 13.8% from a year ago.

The price index for fresh biscuits, rolls and muffins in March was 229.4, down 1% from February but up 10.3% from March 2022. The March index for cakes, cupcakes and cookies was 372.1, up 0.7% from February and up 15.5% from March 2022. Under this segment, other price indexes included fresh cakes and cupcakes, 387.9, up 0.8% from February and up 13% from March 2022; and cookies, 351.3, up 0.5% from the previous month and up 16.6% from the previous year.

The CPI for other bakery products in March was 349.6, up 1.8% from February and up 13.3% from March 2022. Under this heading, other price indexes in March included: fresh sweet rolls, coffee cakes and donuts, 384.3, up 1.3% from February and up 8.3% from March 2022; crackers and cracker products, 415.8, up 1.5% from February and up 13.6% from March 2022; and frozen and refrigerated bakery products, pies, tarts and turnovers, 346.4, up 2.6% from February and up 16.2% from the previous year.