WASHINGTON, DC, US — The Consumer Price Index for baked foods and cereal products rose 0.2% in January, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the US Department of Labor. The index for all food at home, meanwhile, increased 0.7%.

Of the 18 items followed by Milling & Baking News, a sister publication of World Grain, 14 posted month-over-month increases and 4 finished lower.

The January index for Cereals and Bakery Products before seasonal adjustment was 354.5% of the 1982-84 average, up 1.5% from a year ago. For all food at home, the January index was 305, up 1.2% from January 2023.

The CPI for cereals and cereal products in January was 283.9, up 0.3% from December but down 0.6% from January 2023. The index for products within this category included: flour and prepared mixes, 321.6, up 2.7% from December and up 1% from the previous year; breakfast cereal, 271.7, down 0.8% from the previous month and down 0.8% from a year ago; and rice, pasta and corn meal, 290.6, up 0.4% from December but down 1% from January 2023.

The price index for bakery products in January was 395.7, up 0.1% from December and up 2.5% from January 2023.

The January index for bread was 240.4, up 0.3% from December and up 3.2% from January 2023. Under this heading, the CPI for white bread was 438.8, up 0.5% from December and up 3.3% from January 2023. For bread other than white, the index was 465, up 0.1% from December and up 2.8% from a year ago.

The price index for fresh biscuits, rolls and muffins in January was 235.8, up 0.2% from December and up 2.9% from January 2023. The January index for cakes, cupcakes and cookies was 370.2, up 0.1% from December and up 1% from January 2023. Under this segment, other price indexes included fresh cakes and cupcakes, 388.3, down 1% from December but up 1.7% from January 2023; and cookies, 348.6, up 0.3% from the previous month and up 0.6% from the previous year.