WASHINGTON, DC, US — The Consumer Price Index for baked foods and cereal products decreased 0.3% in September, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the US Department of Labor. The index for all food at home, meanwhile, advanced 0.1% for the second consecutive month.

Of the 18 items followed by Milling & Baking News, a sister publication of World Grain, 12 posted month-over-month decreases and 6 finished higher.

The September index for Cereals and Bakery Products before seasonal adjustment was 355.6% of the 1982-84 average, up 4.8% from a year ago. For all food at home, the September index was 303.9, up 2.4% from September 2022.

The CPI for cereals and cereal products in September was 288, down 0.4% from August but up 3.6% from September 2022. The index for products within this category included: flour and prepared mixes, 322.9, down 0.4% from August but up 3.9% from the previous year; breakfast cereal, 276.8, down 0.5% from the previous month but up 3.7% from a year ago; and rice, pasta and corn meal, 294.7, down 0.4% from August but up 3.4% from September 2022.

The price index for bakery products in September was 394.8, down 0.2% from August but up 5.3% from September 2022.

The September index for bread was 239.1, up 0.3% from August and up 6.1% from September 2022. Under this heading, the CPI for white bread was 437.1, up 0.6% from August and up 7.8% from September 2022. For bread other than white, the index was 461.6, up 0.1% from August and up 4.5% from a year ago.

The price index for fresh biscuits, rolls and muffins in September was 233.3, down 0.2% from August but up 6.1% from September 2022. The September index for cakes, cupcakes and cookies was 371.5, down 0.4% from August but up 4.8% from September 2022. Under this segment, other price indexes included fresh cakes and cupcakes, 391.2, down 1% from August but up 3.9% from September 2022; and cookies, 350.3, up 0.1% from the previous month and up 6.6% from the previous year.